Lemon Chess Pie

I wish I had a picture to show you this beauty of confections; but alas, I wasn't into taking pictures of my food the last time I made this. First things first: the "chess" part has absolutely nothing to do with knights, bishops, or checkerboards of any kind. It actually comes from an 17th century English term for any pastry made solely with sugar, butter, and eggs (all the important things, that is). The concept migrated to the Southern United States at some point and has resulted in the very pies associated with pie-dom itself -specifically the Pecan Pie.
If you haven't heard of pecan pie, I hope you find yourself a recipe - Quick.
Regardless, my great grandmother apparently had a recipe for a Lemon Chess pie that has gone uncovered for who knows how long. My family being from Tennessee, we are intimately acquainted with the glories of the Smoky Mountains, Benton's country hams, and Blackberry Farms. I don't want to bore you all by waxing romantic, but Blackberry Farms is a place to be reckoned with. It is a legitimate farm nestled in a valley in Tennessee's eastern mountains and is within perfect distance from the best farms in the area. Needless to say, the food is fantastic and the scenery is swoon-worthy.
Of course, I have their cookbook! I'd be a fool to not want to know what the man behind the counter does to make everything so amazing! There is just the right amount of lemon to off-set the inherent richness of the basic chess filling. And, there is no need to worry about a crust; the cornmeal rises in an even layer with crunch akin to those strangely addictive lace cookies (the caramel ones that the elderly brought to the Christmas parties of your childhood). Thus, I present to you - Blackberry Farm's astonishingly amazing Lemon Chess Pie*.

Lemon Chess Pie
recipe: Blackberry Farm, Tennessee

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/3 cups cornmeal
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons
Pinch of salt
Pie pastry (your choice)


1. Place pie dough on a well floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll it out into an 11-inch circle, 1/6 of an inch thick. Place dough in a 9 inch pie pan. Press into pan and trim if necessary. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Preheat oven to 325F degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in sugar, butter, cornmeal, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Pour mixture into the chilled pie shell.

3. Bake with pie pan on a baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Allow pie to cool to room temperature before refrigerating until serving time (at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Serve with blueberries - I prefer blueberry coulis, but melted blueberry jam/preserves work just as well.

Happy eating!
CLE
*That was totally waxing poetical/romantic, I know. I just didn't want to fix it because it's true...