A Year-Round Guide to Franklin and Nantahala

From Our State’s A Taste of Our State series. Click here to read or listen to contributor Sheri Castle’s column from the February 2025 issue. Chess pie is an essential Southern dessert,

Rosemary and Goat Cheese Strata

From Our State’s A Taste of Our State series. Click here to read or listen to contributor Sheri Castle’s column from the February 2025 issue. Chess pie is an essential Southern dessert,

From Our State’s A Taste of Our State series. Click here to read or listen to contributor Sheri Castle’s column from the February 2025 issue.


Chess pie is an essential Southern dessert, a concept as much as a recipe. It originated as a workaday pantry pie that cooks could make from ingredients they had on hand. Chess pie is adaptable: If there was no vinegar for the acid, lemon juice or buttermilk could do the trick. If there were nuts, you could have pecan or black walnut or peanut pie. If there was chocolate, then in it went. I’ve added salt and honey to this one. Chess pie is as chess pie does.

Yield: One 9-inch pie.

Crust:
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, blind-baked to golden brown and cooled

Filling:
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons fine cornmeal
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup butter
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup sourwood honey, or another flavorful floral variety
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Flaky salt (for sprinkling)

Topping:
1 cup heavy cream, deeply chilled
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling: Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 325°.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs until well-beaten. Whisk in the sugar, cornmeal, and salt.

In small saucepan over medium heat, warm butter, cream, and honey, and stir until the butter melts. Whisking continuously, pour into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Whisk in the vinegar and vanilla. Pour into the pie shell. Place pie in the oven on the hot baking sheet.

Bake until the filling is nearly set, about 45 minutes. Lay foil over the pie if the crust browns too quickly. The center should jiggle a little when the pan is gently shaken. The edges will puff in the oven, but will settle as the pie cools and continues to set. Sprinkle salt over the warm filling.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.

For the topping: Place a large metal or glass bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Pour cream, honey, vanilla, and salt into the chilled bowl. Beat to stiff peaks with a mixer set to high speed.

Serve each piece of pie with a generous dollop of the topping.

print it

This story was published on Jan 15, 2025

Sheri Castle

Sheri Castle hosts the Emmy award-winning show The Key Ingredient and is a Southern Foodways Alliance Keeper of the Flame honoree.