THE CHEF FROM HELL

Ah, chess pie!  My wife, Sweet Loretta, finally handed over the recipe for this Southern delight so that I can share it with you fine folks!  The story of this sweet pie goes like this:  Many years ago, when a Southern housewife was greeted with unexpected guests, she whipped up a pie using only basic ingredients that she had in her cupboard.  When her guests raved about this simple, yet delicious pie and asked what it was called, the housewife coyly replied, "Oh, it's jess pie!"... and over the years the moniker of "Chess" Pie came into use!

For the crust

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups White Flour

3 TBS White Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1 stick unsalted Butter, chilled

1 large Egg, beaten

Cooking Procedure:

Combine the flour, sugar, salt & baking powder in a small bowl

Slice the chilled butter into 8 even pieces

Add 7 of these slices to the ingredients in the small bowl-- keep 1 chilled butter slice in reserve

Using your fingers, work the mixture in the small bowl until it achieves a coarse texture-- if the mixtures seems too dry, add the 8th piece of chilled butter & work that in as well

When the mixture holds a coarse, grainy texture, stir in the beaten egg-- be careful not to over-mix this

Coat a 9 inch pie tin with cooking spray

Take a handful of the pie crust mixture & sprinkle it over the bottom of the pie tin

Using floured fingertips, press this into the bottom of the pie tin

Work the remainder of the crust mixture up the sides of the tin, pressing as you go

Flute the edge of the pie crust

Wrap the pie crust with plastic wrap & place it in the fridge overnight

The Next Day-- Here's how you make the pie:

Ingredients:

1 9 inch pie crust

1 stick unsalted Butter, softened

1 1/2 cups White Sugar

2 TBS Cornmeal

1 TBS White Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1/3 cup Buttermilk

Note:  If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, here's a cooking tip that can come in handy--  Place 1 tsp of white vinegar in a measuring cup.  Fill the cup to the 1/3 mark with whole milk.  Let this sit for a few minutes and presto!  You have some buttermilk!

3 large Eggs, beaten

Cookign Procedure:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Prick the bottom & sides of the pie crust with the tines of a fork

In a medium bowl, cream the butter & sugar

Add the flour, cornmeal & salt

Cream this mixture once more

Add the beaten egg & buttermilk

Beat well

Pour this mixture into your pie crust

Bake your chess pie for 10 to 15 minutes; until it is lightly browned

Place the pie in a larger, deep baking pan & cover the deep baking pan with foil

Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees

Bake the pie for an additional 35 minutes or until the pie is firm

Let the pie cool on a rack

Ahhhhhhhhh!