CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE

photo: slw

First of all, what is chess pie? You might not be familiar with it if you're not from the South. The simple filling is made from pantry staples of eggs, sugar, butter, and a small amount of flour or cornmeal (or even vinegar) to hold it together. You can change the flavor of this base filling by adding vanilla, lemon juice, nuts, spices, or even chocolate. The variations are limitless. If you're curious about the origin of the name, there's a bit of folklore around the name. Some believe the word "chess" is an Americanization of the English word "cheese," referring to English Lemon Curd pie (chess pie is a cheese-less cheesecake). Another explanation suggests that "chess" is just a drawn-out drawl for "chest," which is how the very sugary pie had to be stored to keep the flies away (pie chest). And then my favorite is the folklore a plantation cook was asked what she was baking that smelled so good, and she replied, "Jes pie." Whatever the truth, chess pie is a southern staple that must be tried by all. 

I baked chocolate chess pie that doesn't require a tablespoon of flour or cornmeal, probably because of the cocoa powder. For the crust I used the "stir and roll" Wesson oil recipe I blogged about yesterday. This is one of my favorite pies -- delicious. 

Chocolate Chess Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
3 heaping Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch fine sea salt
1 (5-ounce can) evaporated milk
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the evaporated milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, whisking well to combine. 
3. Pour the filling into an unbaked pie shell. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until the filling is set around the edges but slightly jiggles in the center. 
4. Cool the pie on a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. 

STACK PIE

ph: tina rupp via drunkbakers

Have you ever tried to carry more than one pie at a time? Not easy. I bake a lot of pies for social gatherings and transporting multiple pies is a precarious balancing act. Whether heavy or delicate, some pies require a firm grip between two hands. Sturdier pies can be carried two at a time, one in each hand, in a bag or carrier. That is, if you're lucky enough to find one that won't damage your crust, gouge your cream or custard filling, or demolish your whipped or meringue topping. All that effort gone to waste!

This past Thanksgiving a friend gifted me with a vintage tin combo cake and pie carrier. It's gorgeous but bulky, and for a city girl that travels by subway, a bit of a hassle on a crowded train. Besides, I don't bake cakes. What I need is a multi-tiered stackable pie carrier. 

The other option is stack pie. I'm not sure of its origin but my guess would be church potlucks, picnics, or reunions. Back in the day it was just too hard to move a bunch of pies separately, so someone came up with the idea to stack them together. It's basically a bunch of chess pies glued together with caramel frosting. You can make as many layers as you can bake. Talk about pie in the sky. The following recipe is for a stack of four pies. 

Stack Pie
crust

You need four 9-inch pie tins and enough crust for two double-crust pies. 

1. Divide pastry into four even pieces, flatten into 4-inch disks. Wrap in plastic; chill in fridge for 1 hour. 
2. Let dough soften slightly at room temp before rolling out. Preheat oven to 300º F. 
3. Roll out and line pans, but just come up to the edge, don't crimp. 
4. Place pie pans in freezer for 10-15 minutes. 
5. Remove from freezer and line with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans. Par-bake the crusts for 20 minutes, or until just brown. 
6. Remove parchment paper and pie weight / beans. Brush the bottom with a mixture of whisked egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Place crusts back in oven for 1 minute. Remove and cool while you make the filling. 

filling
10 egg yolks
3 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
pinch of salt

frosting
3 cups brown sugar
2/3 cups whole milk
2 stick butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 dash of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Turn up oven to 350º F. 
2. Beat yolks for 3 minutes, add sugar gradually, beat to yellow and light looking.
3. Fill the pie shells evenly. Bake 10 minutes, them with a toothpick, pop any air bubbles on tops of pies. Continue to bake 15-18 minutes, or until golden. 
4. Immediately cut away excess pastry with sharp knife from all but one pie (this will be the bottom pie) and discard. Important: Chill pies. 
5. Meanwhile, start frosting: melt butter in small pan. Whisk in brown sugar and bring to boil. Stir in the milk, salt and vanilla. Cool. Beat in powdered sugar in small increments until a proper, sticky, frosting consistency. 
6. Remove three trimmed pies from their pans. Blob some frosting on the top of the bottom pie, spread around carefully. Position second pie on top. Repeat with as many pies as you have. 
7. Slice and serve like a layer cake. Serve within 2 days.

Note: The great thing about chess pie is that the filling is a great base to which you can add other ingredients, such as nuts or fruit. You can turn this basic recipe into chocolate chess pie, lemon chess pie, buttermilk chess pie, etc. The possibilities are endless. 

BROWN, SUGAR, AND MAPLE SYRUP

IT'S JES' PIE

The following is a pie recipe that's just as smooth as the king of soul, found in the New York Times archives. I think it's similar to Maple Spice Pie or even a Southern specialty called Chess Pie, except you replace the sugar with maple syrup .

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

4 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

9-inch par-baked pie crust or tart shell

1. Par-bake pie crust.
2. Preheat oven to 300º F. Prepare filling: in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.
4. Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.