Chess Pie

Chess Pie #4

Sugar Cream Pie

1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
7 T ap flour
2 c evaporated milk
1 T diced butter
1/4 t ground nutmeg

Mix the sugars, flour, and milk. Pour into crust. Dot with butter and sprinkle with nutmeg to look pretty. Bake 300 degrees for 1 hour.



This is also not really Chess Pie. Dennis and I both identified evaporated milk when we were eating at Gus's Fried Chicken, and it is their Chess Pie I am trying to recreate. This isn't it, but it is good. It has a bit too much flour taste to me, but I think real cream would solve that. I also think going pure white sugar would sweeten it up. I would like that, because you can't get a pie too sweet for me.

Chess Pie

Chess Pie #3

Jefferson Davis Pie

1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c white
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/2 c heavy cream
1 egg
1 T ap flour
1 1/2 t vanilla

1/2 c heavy cream
1 t sugar
1 t bourbon

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix white sugar, brown sugar, and flour. Add softened butter, cream, eggs and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 and continue baking for 45 to 50 minutes.
Whip cream and add sugar gradually until stiff peaks form. Once cream is whipped, gently fold in the bourbon. Serve with pie.



Ok, this is not really Chess Pie. It is sugary and caramely. It goes really well with the bourbon whipped cream.

Chess Pie

Chess Pie #2

Fairfield Chess Pie

1/3 C butter
1 1/3 C sugar
3 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 T flour
1/8 t allspice
1/4 t salt

Beat together butter, sugar and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Add milk, allspice and salt, mix well. Pour into unbaked 9” pie shell. Bake in 400o oven for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350o and bake for 30 more minutes.

I did need a deep dish crust for this pie, but I'd purchased a standard crust. I had leftover filling.



This one's top is burned too. It happened immediately, within the first five minutes of cooking. I want to play with this recipe because it is a milky, no cornmeal Chess Pie. I clearly need to change the cooking directions and ditch the 400 degree oven.

Chess Pie

Chess Pie #1:

1 (9 inch) pie shell
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium mixing bowl combine melted butter or margarine, eggs, and sugar. Mix well, then add cornmeal, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour into pastry shell.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until set and golden brown on top.

I took the advice of the reviewers and bought a deep dish crust. Not necessary at all. They must be mixing it with an electric mixer and adding a bunch of air. I also cooked it longer than the 35 minutes specified. No need. Mine is overcooked.

This tastes like the "gooey butter" part of gooey butter cake. We all like it, and I will make it again. I think this might technically be a vinegar pie instead of chess pie. I'm ultimately looking for a less buttery, more evaporated milk flavor for "my" chess pie recipe.

Banoffee Pie

I saw Paula Deen make this, so I had to make it too.



Banoffee Pie recipe.

I used a double boiler to cook down the sweetened condensed milk. I also made some french press coffee and mixed that in with the whipped cream topping.

Dennis and Chris really like it. It's got bananas in it, so I think it is just ok. It would be good with a chocolate graham cracker crust.

Fried Peach Pies

I made fried peach pies for the "fair food" party at work today.









They were popular.

I have about a cup of filling left over. I think I'll make ice cream out of it!

Lemon Meringue Pie - with Assistant!

Chris has been watching recorded episodes of Good Eats. I was secretly hoping this would lead him into the kitchen, and I think it could have worked. I would be extremely proud of myself if I raised a boy who could cook more than boiling water!

I don't know if we're there yet, but he was very helpful with this pie. He even separated his first egg without breaking the yolk. Now if I could just make a meringue without breaking the first one! I always have to go at it twice. Every time. Meringue and I are mortal enemies.



1 frozen pie crust, blind baked and cooled

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Curd
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 drops yellow food coloring

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Slowly beat in sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Add vanilla. Cover and hold in refrigerator until curd is prepared.

Mix sugar and cornstarch in large sauce pan. Gradually stir in water over medium heat. Stirring continuously until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for an additional minute.

Remove from heat and stir at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks to temper. Stir warmed yolk mixture back into saucepan. Boil, stirring, for two more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice and food coloring. Pour into pie crust.

Spread meringue onto hot pie filling. Be sure to seal meringue to the pie crust all the way around.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Cool on a rack for two hours, then cover and refrigerate.

Strawberry pie

Strawberry pie is one of my favorite foods. I remember how much of a treat it was as a kid when Grandma & Grandpa Marfell got me a slice at the mall cafeteria. They always arranged the berries crown down on the crust and they looked like delicious jewels.



Single pie crust, baked and allowed to cool completely
1 cup sugar
3 T strawberry Jello
3 heaping T cornstarch
1 cup water
2 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled (ours were cut into 4ths)

Thoroughly combine sugar, Jello and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add water and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and rubylike. Allow to cool. Arrange strawberries on cooled pie crust, top with cooled filling and chill until ready to serve.

Yes, my pie crust shrank and puffed despite being docked really well. Guess my docking fork wasn't sharp enough to go all the way through...