Chess Pie From Evie McGee Colbert & Stephen Colbert
Evie: This is my grandmother McGee’s receipt and one of the ones that my mom and I discovered when we found my grandmother’s long-lost receipt box. Chess pie is a classic Southern pie and this receipt is probably well over a hundred years old, but it certainly holds up.
Stephen: The origin of the name of this pie, like the name of many old dishes, is a matter of debate. There are a lot of theories, mostly regarding Southern mispronunciations: this is pie you store in your pie “chest”; it’s not fancy, it’s “just” pie; it originated in Chester, England; it was originally called “cheese pie.” I don’t believe any of them. Skip the debate and eat the pie.
Photo by Eric Wolfinger
INGREDIENTS
Makes 8 servings
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell, homemade or store-bought
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup fine cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
