A Taste of the South

So Sharon's birthday was this last Saturday. I asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner or let me make her something. She wanted to go out (what does that mean?). So we went out to one of our favorite Italian grill restaurants. It was (as usual) very good. Both of us love their freshly baked Italian loaf and then taking a slice and dipping it their herbed Olive Oil. We also both got yummy pasta dishes and brought leftovers home with us.

One thing she did want me to make for her was Chess Pie. She loves, loves, loves Custard Pie and we would always get one for dessert on Christmas Day, but they are hard to find and I've never made one yet.

However, for a replacement pie I made one of her other favorites...Chess Pie. My daughter Erin told us about it and that it would probably be a good substitute for the Custard version. This is what is looks like:

Chess Pie has a long and deep history here in the South. There are a number of versions to how Chess Pie got it's name.

It does not look like a Chess Board, but one story is told that when the Southern Gentlemen got together, they would go to the parlor to play chess and were served this pie. Therefore it became known as Chess Pie.

Another story is that this pie's name was derived from the Southern accent or drawl. So when someone asked the question "what kind of pie is it?", the reply was "It's 'jes pie". And because of the accent, it came to be known as Chess Pie (sort of the culinary version of the kids game Telephone...I assume).

And then there's the story that this recipe was derived from the English Cheese Pie.Even though there is no cheese in the pie, it most likely referred to the curdle-like texture of the filling once cooked.

But the one story that seems more likely to me is that the name is derived from the pie chest. The ingredients were very common in most households (and probably still are today) and once made, it would keep well in the pie chest. So over the years it became known as the Chess Pie because it was kept in a pie chest.

However the name came about doesn't really matter to me. All I know is that it is a really good pie and so simple to make. Some recipes call for the addition of buttermilk or vinegar to the ingredient list because it is quite a sweet pie and these ingredients add some acidity and cut some of the sweetness. My recipe doesn't contain them. Here is the recipe I used.

So if you want an easy and fairly quick pie, give this one a try (I just realized that rhymed!). Let me know what you think of it if you do make it. And as always, share this blog site with your friends, subscribe to this site to get an e-mail that a new post is now available and follow me on Facebook.

So until my next post, I'll be in the kitchen.