Heirloom Chess Pie

[underused]

Over at Word of the Day, I encouraged members to practice a little bibliomancy by picking up whatever book was closest, opening it, and pointing to a passage at random to provide "guidance" for their day.

My closest book was Farm Journal's Complete Pie Cookbook (Doubleday, 1965). I was sceptical it would give me a window to the future, but here we are.


Chess Pie (originally from England) is of the sugar-pie variety beloved in the southern US. Like a pecan pie with a few less nuts or (for Canadians) a butter tart, the main difference in this recipe is a less transparent filling with a lighter texture. (Pic below.)

TL;DR: The ingredients are minimal, the process is easy, and saying Heirloom Chess Pie makes you sound faaaancy.

INGREDIENTS

1 unbaked 9" pie shell

1/4 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1 c brown sugar* (packed)
1/8 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp flour
1/2 c cream
1 c chopped pecans

METHOD

Cream butter. Add sugars and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Pour mixture into your pie shell.

Bake at 375 F for 40-50 mins "until a knife inserted between the edge and centre of filling comes out clean."

The pie will come out of the oven puffy, but deflate quickly as it cools. This one is decorated with honeysuckle flowers, which are edible (but the greens aren't).

*Any time you don't have brown sugar you can just mix white sugar with molasses. That's all it is anyway. ☺