Recipe du Jour

Chess Pie

                                          

The history of this pie is a bit mysterious, and silly. Some say that the pie itself is so simple, that when asked what kind of pie is baking, the bakers response was “It’s just pie”.  This, when sped up and slurred by lazy-tongued bakers, starts to sound like “jess pie” or “chess pie”. Whatever.
 
Another tale points out that the pie’s curdy texture is similar to cheese, and lazy-spelling bakers left off the final "e", forever labeling the pie as “chess”. 
 
Neither explanation shines a very favorable light on the bakers in question.
 
I told you it was silly.
 
Silly but delicious. This pie is a perfect for beginners, because it is very hard to screw up, and easy to embellish. Add fruits, nuts, chocolate chips, or spices to add your personal touch. Or, just keep it as is… au naturelle. 
 
So…once you have mastered the pie dough, try this pie on for size.
 
INGREDIENTS
 
1/2 recipe Pie Dough
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 TB. cornmeal
1/2 cup cream
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 TB. vanilla extract
4 oz. (1 stick) butter, melted
 
METHOD

1. Pre-heat oven to 325˚F. Line pie pan with a circle of pie dough, crimp edges and blind bake for 20-30 minutes, until edges just begin to set. Cool completely, and remove pie weights.
 
2. In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar, cornmeal, cream, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Mix well, then stir in butter. Pour into pre-baked pie shell and bake at 325˚F for 30-45 minutes, until lightly golden and just set. Chill completely before serving.
 

 

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Techniques

Techniques

Techniques

Blind Baking

 

 

There is nothing more disappointing to me than cutting into a beautiful pie, only to find a raw bottom crust. Bakers often forget that it takes time for heat to penetrate a pie, and that unlike a cake, a baked top does not necessarily mean a baked bottom. How do you assure your crust is baked on the bottom? Pre-baking is the key. This is known in the business as blind-baking. 
 
Blind-baking allows you to pre-cook a pie shell, either fully or partially, so that once the filling goes in, it is only necessary to bake the pie as long as the filling requires. In some cases, like cream pies, the filling isn’t baked at all, in which case blind-baking is essential.
 
To blind bake a pie shell, form the dough in the pan, decoratively flute the edges, and chill until firm.  This chilling assures that the crimped edge will keep its shape in the hot oven. (If the dough is frozen the protein will solidify before the fat gets a chance to melt.)
 
Line the dough with foil, parchment paper or heavy-duty plastic wrap (it shrinks, but doesn’t melt), then fill it to the rim with dried beans or rice. The weight of this filling is important to keep the shell from melting, shrinking, and bubbling up. Strings of ceramic pie beads do not work, because they do not support the dough on the sides of the pan. Aluminum pie weights work if you use enough of them, but they are expensive, and I have seen stray weights crack a tooth. Beans and rice are easier, cheaper, and safer.
 
Bake at 350˚F until the edges are golden brown. At this point the shell is half cooked and can be used for several recipes in which the filling needs only to be cooked a short while. To cook it completely, carefully remove the weights and return to the oven until the bottom is browned.
 
Blind baking does not work for a double crust pie because the top crust must be pinched and crimped to the bottom crust, which can only be done if the dough is raw. So to help ensure the bottom of a double crust pie is cooked, you must be sure to bake it long enough. How long is that? It should be long enough to get the filling really bubbly, and to turn the top crust a deep, dark golden brown. When you think your pie is at that point, leave it in another 5 minutes. Then, if your oven allows it, move the pie off the rack and cook it 5 more minutes directly on the floor of the oven. This final direct burst of heat is my perfect crust insurance.

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