Recipe: Mom’s Chess Pie*

Mom’s Chess Pie with whipped cream, an excellent addition. Photo by Becca Oppenneer.

Mom’s chess pie is based on a card I found in my mother’s recipe box. It’s very close to the product served at the Highland Park Cafeteria… eggy, tangy and with more body than a custard pie thanks to the cornmeal. According to Wikipedia “chess” may be a shortened form of “cheeseless”. They say the pie might contain “acid such as vinegar, buttermilk, or lemon juice” but in Dallas we always understood it was made with vinegar, because where would you get a lemon in 19th century rural east Texas? Makes one delicious 9 inch pie.

Ingredients:
1 ½ c sugar
4 ½ tsp cornmeal
½ c butter, melted
3 whole eggs
1 t white vinegar
1 t vanilla
¼ c milk
Unbaked pie shell

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar with cornmeal. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat eggs then add liquids, finishing with vinegar. It is best to add vinegar slowly at the last. Transfer bowl with sugar and cornmeal and butter and mix well. Pour into unbaked shell and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature and serve.

*This recipe has been updated after a reader reported a soggy filling. We now recommend beating the eggs separately and cooking for a longer time.