Chess Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter (do not substitute), melted
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 unbaked 8-inch piecrusts, such as Flaky Pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and half the sugar, then beat in the remaining sugar. Beat in the milk, melted butter, flour, cornmeal, and vanilla.
3. Fit the piecrusts into two Lodge 8-inch cast iron skillets, and trim the edges. Divide the filling between the two piecrusts. Bake until the crusts are lightly browned and the filling is bubbling up (it won’t look entirely set at this point). Remove from the oven, and let cool on a wire rack until the filling sets.
FLAKY PASTRY

4. Ingredients

   • 3 cups bleached all-purpose flour
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 1 teaspoon sugar
   • 1 large egg
   • Milk as needed
   • 1 cup vegetable shortening
   1. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Place the egg in a measuring cup, and add enough milk to make 1/2 cup; beat together. Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until the pieces are about the size of peas. Slowly add the milk mixture, mixing thoroughly. Roll the mixture into 2 balls (for two crusts), and chill at least 30 minutes before rolling out. (At this point, you can wrap the dough in wax paper, then aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 weeks.)
   2. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough out thinly with a floured pin. Fit each crust into a Lodge 9-inch cast iron skillet. If the crust is to be blind baked, bake it in a preheated 450° oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes two 9-inch crusts