Lemon Chess Pie

Lemon Chess Pie is a smooth and creamy lemon pie with a firm pudding texture. It’s a classic Southern favorite pie. A Chess pie can be made as buttermilk, chocolate, lemon or nut.

The difference between custard pie and Chess pie is cornmeal. Chess pie has cornmeal as an ingredient in the filling.

National Pie Day is January 23rd! Celebrate by baking a pie or by visiting your favorite pie establishment and ordering a fruit pie, berry pie, cream pie or savory pie. Use the hashtag #nationalpieday if you’re sharing your favorite pie on social media.

History of National Pie Day:

National Pie Day was created by a Boulder, CO teacher named Charlie Papazian in 1975. He declared his own birthday to be a day devoted to pie because he thought pies needed a day to be celebrated. The idea caught on, and here we are today.

“Cut my pie into four pieces– I don’t think I could eat eight.”

-Yogi Berra

The Chess pie was brought from England originally. A recipe for Chess Pie appeared in Estelle Woods Wilcox’s 1877 cookbook called Buckeye Cookery.

It’s hard to know where the name, “Chess” really came from. It could have been derived from “cheese” pie. It could be named after Chester, England. Or it could be named after the pie chest (a piece of furniture where pies were stored).

How to make Lemon Chess Pie:

Make your favorite pie crust, or use a refrigerated crust to press into a pie plate. Prick the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork and the crust in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

While the crust is freezing, make the lemon filling for the pie. The filling is a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, cornmeal, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and melted butter. Let the filling sit while you bake the pie crust. This gives the cornmeal in the filling a chance to soften-up.

Give the filling another brisk stir with the whisk. Then pour the lemon filling into the partially baked crust.

The pie then bakes for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling turns a light brown color. The center of the pie will jiggle a little bit when the pie is shaken.

Cool the pie completely before cutting and serving. This is such a delicious pie to serve for any holiday or celebration. It’s such an easy pie to make!

If you like this pie, you might like an old fashioned custard pie or a chocolate covered strawberry pie. Any pie will do on National Pie Day!

Fun Pie Facts:

• Pies have been traced back to the Ancient Egyptians in 2500BC where we have knowledge of an oat/wheat crust with honey filling.
• The Romans are credited with inventing pie “crust.”
• In the Middle Ages, pies were savory (with meat fillings).
• The 1st recorded apple pie recipe was in the 1300’s in England.
• It’s said that the 1st cherry pie was made for Queen Elizabeth I in the 1500’s.
• Pumpkin Pie was introduced by the Pilgrims at the 2nd Thanksgiving in 1623.
• In the 19th century, fruit pies were a popular breakfast item.
• “Easy as Pie” is an American expression stemming from the 1890’s — where “pie” meant “easy.”
• Apple pie is the most popular variety of pie in the U.S.– followed by pumpkin, chocolate, lemon meringue and cherry.
• “Pie Town” is a real town in New Mexico!
• Boston Cream Pie is a cake, not a pie.