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Lemon Chess Pie

Source of Recipe

From "The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion"


Recipe Introduction

"Chess pie? No one seems certain where the name for this type of pie comes from. A simple combination of eggs, sugar, and butter, with the tiniest bit of flour or cornmeal for thickening, chess pies appeared in print as early as the nineteenth century. Whatever its provenance, this lemon version of a simple chess pie is perfect for lemon lovers. This humble pie has no meringue to hide beneath; it's just citrus at its simple best."

List of Ingredients

Crust:
â—¦ 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder (optional)
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ ¼ cup vegetable shortening
â—¦ 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
â—¦ 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
â—¦ 1 tablespoon cornmeal
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
â—¦ 1 â…” cups sugar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
â—¦ ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
â—¦ 5 large eggs


Recipe

To make the crust:
Whisk together all the dry ingredients. Work in the shortening until it's well combined. Slice the butter into pats and add it to the flour mixture, working it in until it's unevenly crumbly, with some larger pieces of butter remaining.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the water over the dough while tossing with a fork. Just as soon as the dough becomes cohesive (i.e., you can squeeze it into a ball easily), stop mixing; there should still be visible pieces of fat in the dough. Add up to 2 additional tablespoons water, if necessary, to make the dough come together.

Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the water and the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to roll out.

Makes one 9-inch pie