Lemon Chess Pie

A Southern classic Lemon Chess Pie is tangy with a smooth custard like filling.  It’s an exceptional citrus dessert perfect for any occasion. 

With the lemon lovers in my house, a classic lemon chess pie is always a big hit. The texture is smooth and creamy  with a light citrus flavor.  Chess pie is pretty common in the south with the two most popular being chocolate and lemon. Most will have a bit of cornmeal to help stabilize the custardy filling.

The authors of The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book suggested adding some orange juice with the lemon juice which creates a more citrusy flavor without making it too tart. I love the combination of orange and lemon juices. The texture is marvelous, and while rich, it almost seems light.

If you love citrus but don’t want to make a pie crust, try Atlantic beach pie that uses Saltine crackers for the crust.

I made this the first time over the Christmas holidays, but it’s one of those year round desserts since you can always find lemons. Soon we’ll have lots of fresh fruit for pies and cobblers, but we still have a few weeks and Mothers’ day and Easter are coming up. This would be a scrumptious dessert to serve for either occasion.  

A chess pie is such an easy pie to make, just whisk the ingredients together and bake it in a partially baked pie crust similar to a buttermilk pie. It will need to cool for a few hours. Somehow this pie does not feel as heavy as some desserts. The lemon orange combination make this pie ideal to serve after any meal.

Why you’ll love it

• The citrus flavor really shines through for a refreshing flavor!
• It’s a simple pie with easy ingredients usually on hand.
• This isn’t a heavy dessert, it’s rich in flavor but yet light to enjoy.

Where does chess pie come from

A classic chess pie gets its roots from the South when ingredients were limited. It’s a simple pie combining sugar, butter and eggs with a little cornmeal and flour to thicken it. The most common one is the lemon chess pie.  There’s quite a debate as to where the name came from, but I like the theory that when asked about the pie the Southern baker said it’s “just pie”.  That’s something my Southern mother-in-law would say and you don’t get more Southern then Maydean.

How to avoid a soggy pie crust

The secret is to partially cook the pie crust whether it’s a homemade pie crust or store bought.

• Roll out pie crust and place in pie pan.  Refrigerate until cold then prick with a fork and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Place a cookie sheet in the oven and turn it to 425º.
• Remove the pie crust from the freezer and line it with parchment paper and place pie weights inside. These are the pie weights that I have been using for years, you will need 3 packages to fill up a pie pan. Place it on the hot cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, remove and let it cool.

What you’ll need

• Pie crust – make a 9″ pie crust or buy one from the refrigerated section of your grocery store. If you haven’t made a flaky pie crust from scratch, it’s easy to do with these simple steps.
• Lemon – you can use a zester or a cheese grater to gain all that yummy flavor from the peel of the fruit
• Stone ground yellow cornmeal – this adds texture and sweetness to the pie while helping to thicken it up
• Heavy cream – don’t substitute this ingredient, it allows the pie to thicken to the perfect consistency
• Fresh lemon juice – you will want the zest from fresh lemons, then you can juice the rest of it for more flavor
• Fresh orange juice – you can either use juice from oranges or grab 100% oj and enjoy baking up a mimosa monkey bread with the leftovers
• Sugar, flour, salt, butter, eggs, vanilla

Pro Tip: You need lots of juice for this pie, so learn some tips for getting the most juice out of lemons and oranges.

Step by step directions

Step 1: Partially bake the pie crust and let it cool.

Step 2: To the dry ingredients add melted butter and whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking briskly until it thickens. Then add the cream, juices and vanilla. Pour into the partially baked pie crust.

Step 3: Bake for 40-50 minutes until the center just slightly jiggles. Remove and allow to cool for about 3 hours. 

This is a pie that you have to make in advance because it needs to cool for three hours so that the custard can set.  A chess pie is normally served at room temperature, but if you don’t finish it off in a day or two, it’s still pretty yummy after it’s been refrigerated. Add a dollop of whipped cream to compliment the citrus flavor and serve with our favorite shortbread cookie, Pistachio Cranberry Shortbread.

Pro Tip: If you want pretty swirls of whipped cream or just want it to keep its form for a few day, learn how you can easily stabilize whipped cream.

This recipe was adapted from  The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. If you’re not familiar with the Elsen sisters, they opened a pie shop in Brooklyn called Four and Twenty Blackbirds.

FAQ’s and tips

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