Chess Pie II

A Southern classic that confuses everyone who reads the ingredient list: chess pie is essentially a custard tart held together with cornmeal and brightened with a tablespoon of vinegar. The result is a sweet, tangy, gooey filling with a thin sugary crust on top, all in a single 9-inch pie shell.

The vinegar is the move that makes a chess pie. It cuts the sweetness, balances the egg richness, and gives the filling a clean, almost lemon-like brightness. Plain white vinegar is traditional; apple cider vinegar adds a slight fruity note.

Cornmeal is the other defining ingredient. A single tablespoon thickens the custard just enough to hold its slice, and the granules settle into the bottom to form a slightly crunchy under-crust. Don’t substitute extra flour for the cornmeal; the texture won’t be the same.

Beat the filling for the full 3 to 5 minutes on high. This pie’s signature crackled top comes from a meringue-like aeration of the eggs and sugar; underbeating gives you a flat, dense filling without the crisp top layer.

Pro Tips

• Use room-temperature eggs and butter. Cold ingredients won’t whip into the airy filling that gives chess pie its character.
• Tent the crust edges with foil after 20 minutes if they’re browning faster than the center.
• The center will look slightly jiggly when you pull it from the oven. It firms up as it cools; baking it solid gives you a tough pie.
• Cool completely before slicing. A warm chess pie is a soupy chess pie.

Variations

• Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the filling for a chocolate chess pie.
• Use 1 cup of brown sugar in place of white for a deeper, molasses-rich version.
• Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and reduce vinegar to 1 teaspoon for a lemon chess pie.