This morning I started looking for recipes of pies that I have never made before. One caught my eye – it’s called Chess Pie. I thought that a pie with this name might be black and white (like a chess board) but one source said that it was a pie that was made when “pie ingredients” (read fruit) were in short supply. An enterprising person created this recipe and supposedly said it was “just pie” which eventually became known as Chess Pie.
It’s a traditional southern pie and is basically a sweet custard with the addition of cornmeal. It sounds interesting… and probably is good but I am not ready to make it for someone without tasting it first myself. If someone out there has made it, I would love it if you would share your story.
Instead of a new pie, I opted for one that I have made a few times before… Chocolate Pecan Pie. To me it is among the best of pies for it has nuts, chocolate, and it is delightfully rich. Best of all, it is fairly quick to put together which is a plus when your schedule gets a bit hectic.
My intended pie recipient is a friend who lives nearby but because he travels quite a bit I don’t see him very often. My goal was to surprise him and therefore I did not call ahead to make sure that he was home. When I got to his house and knocked (and knocked again) I should not have been surprised when he did not answer. I walked a short distance to his neighbor’s house and he assured me that my friend was home so I went back to his house.
Again I knocked and called out and then finally gave up. As it was getting dark I walked back to the neighbor’s house and told him that since I could not reach my friend I wanted to gift the pie to him. He thanked me and told me that he was meeting up with his band tonight and he would share it with them. I hope that it both nourishes and inspires them.
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
Aldous Huxley
Pie a Day Give Away 
Now, I’m dying to know who the recipient was!
Mandy… sometimes it’s best to keep a persons identity a secret for one reason or another. I hope you understand.
I’ve made a number of chess pies and will happily vouch for them. In particular, a well-made chocolate chess pie is very tough to beat.
I love the idea of a chocolate chess pie! It sounds delicious… Would you be willing to share a recipe?
I use the “Fancy Chocolate Chess Pie” recipe on page 366 of Ken Hadrich’s book “Pie”. Something like this:
9″ partially pre-baked crust
1/2 cup butter
4oz bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp fine cornmeal
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup half & half
1 tsp vanilla
Melt the butter & chocolate gently.
Combine dry ingredients. Whisk in eggs, egg yolk, cream & vanilla. Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Pour into cooled pie crust. Bake 55-65 minutes at 325F, turning in the middle to bake evenly. It’s done when it’s formed a thin, crisp top crust and barely jiggles when shaken. Cool at least 90 minutes.