Chess Pie...Old School

CHESS PIE

this could just be the surprise winner of the year.  

it figures...a good old classic like Chess Pie.

simple ingredients, simple flavors...

SIMPLY DELICIOUS !

what a fabulous, unique pie...naked with nothing on...

or...all dressed up for the party with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and toasted pecans. 

i made 2 of these in a week and they disappeared faster than any other dessert i've made all year...and i make a lot of desserts.

the beautiful cracked top is like a baked meringue cookie and the inside is a soft sweet melt in your mouth custard.

the name is a little odd because it has nothing to do with the game of chess...
i guess there are many controversies about the origin of the Chess Pie.
 it's a Southern specialty, but some say it came from England and evolved from a similar cheese tart...this being "cheese-less"...some say it was named from a piece of furniture that was common in the early South called a pie chest or pie safe (pies under lock and key?!)
or the one i like is the theory that it was originally called "just pie" because it was so simple and plain and the named morphed into "jess-pie"...or Chess pie.
i'm sure there's more theories out there.  i just grabbed a few from Wikipedia and What's cookin' America.

there are a few variations out there that add vanilla, brown sugar, four and or some cornmeal, but i wanted to go with the flat out basic - simple - easy...and you can't get any easier than this.  i'm even proud to admit i went for the store bought pie crust for the first try.  hey...this recipe calls for it.  don't be afraid to take the easy route...the crust is not the star of the show here.  it's all about the cracked meringue top along with the custardy sweet filling.  

i must add that the second pie was made with a crust from my in-house pastry chef, master pie crust maker...MOM...and it did push the pie over the top.  photos are of the store bought because the second one disappeared before i could take a shot.

4 things is all you'll need for 

AUNT MARY'S EASY CHESS PIE

recipe copied below and found at Tasty Kitchen submitted by Sweeteater

4 Tablespoons softened butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 whole pie shell, frozen

cream the sugar and butter together

add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition

pour into unbaked pie shell

bake at 350 F degrees for 35-40 minutes

cool completely before serving