Southerners know how to do pie. It's true. From Sweet Potato to Southern Pecan, this is the time of year to pull up a seat and enjoy a piece of pie with a story. A pie like Chess Pie.
Many folks disagree on the origin of the name, but there are plenty of good guesses. The most popular (and the one I've been told by my own family) is that since the word "chess" is an Americanization of the English word "cheese," the name of the pie is probably referring to an old-fashioned curd or cheese pie. As Nancy McDermott explains in her book Southern Pies, "Some say [the name is derived from] 'chest' because the pie would have been stored in a pie safe, a wooden cupboard with deep shelves." Southern Living mentions how gentlemen were served this sweet pie as they retreated to a room to play chess. However, others insist that it was derived from Southerners' dialect: It's jes' pie (it's just pie).
It looks as though a consensus won't be reached anytime soon. But one thing is for sure: the ingredients are virtually always the same. A Chess Pie always features four main staples from Southern farm life at the turn of the century: flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Today pastry chefs, recipe developers, and home cooks alike do modern spins on the classic but it's such a wonderful pie because of its simplicity and American roots. We thought we'd gather together a few Chess Pie recipes for you to try. Who knows? Maybe this year's Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie will be replaced with a Southern classic.
• Old-School Chess Pie - Jules Food
• Lemon Chess Pie - Baking Bites
• Chocolate Pecan Chess Pie - Epicurious
• Walnut Chess Pie - The Prepared Pantry
• Chocolate Chess Pie (pictured) - The Kitchn
Related: Old-Fashioned Vinegar Pie for Pi Day
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Mmmm, chess pie. One of my favorite desserts growing up in Tennessee - I was baffled when I moved to the East Coast and discovered that very few people had heard of it!
Anyway, it's delicious - lemon chess is my fave.
My grandmother made chess pies for Thanksgiving every year. She grew up in Ohio, but became an East-Tennesseer when she married. My chess pies never turn out like hers did.
(Psst, the correct link to the walnut chess pie recipe is http://www.preparedpantry.com/Maple-Nut-Pie-Recipe.htm )
I do love chess pie. My favorite (and what I think of as classic chess pie) is buttermilk chess. My recipe contains the four staples you mentioned (flour, butter, sugar and eggs) plus buttermilk.
mmm, lemon chess pie. i don't have a recipe for it, but i love the version at mom's apple pie (occoquan, va).
My great aunt used to make individual chess pies every year for Thanksgiving. Her recipe was very similar to the walnut recipe you've posted but also included raisins and was topped with meringue.
I made a chess pie once just out of curiosity (I am a northern gal, and had never even heard of chess pie, let alone eaten it) and while it was delicious, it still basically reminded me of pecan pie without the pecans.
reading the ingredients, it reminds me of a butter tart (which I've recently realized is a very canadian thing)
Oooh! My mom made buttermilk AND lemon chess pies and they were fab! No one else in the house liked them (suckers!) so what else could I do but eat as much as possible? My husband doesn't eat sweets - how can I justify baking one of these...?
@happycamper2168 - Since it always seems like everyone we know is on a diet, my mother and I make these as tartlets, and then you can freeze them to keep if it's a big batch.
I love some chess pie - buttermilk with chocolate chips is hands down my favorite!
One of my absolute favorite deserts. My grandmother's recipe was the perfect combination of sweet and buttery. Everyone should give it Chess Pies a try!