Buttermilk Chess Pie

Updated July 10, 2024

Buttermilk Chess Pie
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
Total Time
4 hour 40 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 35 minutes, plus as least 3 hours' cooling
Rating
4(259)
Comments
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The category of chess pie is expansive. By definition, a chess pie is any sweet custard pie made up of eggs, butter and sugar, with something to set it, like flour or cornmeal. This runs the gamut from transparent pie to pies that even include nuts like Kentucky Derby pie. These “sugar pies,” with their basic ingredients, might otherwise fall flat without a bit of finesse. This version, beautifully balanced with buttermilk and a touch of lemon and vanilla to cut the characteristic sweetness, elevates the minimalism in an elegant and well-rounded way. It’s chess pie in its highest form. Some tips for success: Cooling your buttermilk chess pie for several hours is just as important as baking until set with the right jiggle. Baking it in a frozen, homemade pie shell helps create a crust that is both crisp on the bottom and soft against the filling.

Featured in: The Pie I’ll Never Shut Up About

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Ingredients

Yield:One (9-inch) deep-dish pie (6 to 8 servings)
  • ½cup/4 ounces/113 grams unsalted butter
  • 1vanilla bean
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • 3cups/600 grams granulated sugar
  • ½cup/64 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon coarse kosher salt, like Morton’s
  • 6large eggs
  • 1½ cups/360 milliliters whole cultured buttermilk
  • 1(9-inch) deep-dish pie crust, frozen (preferably homemade, see Tip)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

625 calories; 23 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 99 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 78 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 477 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the center. Prepare pie filling: In a small pan over low heat, melt the butter. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape the seeds into the melted butter, along with the spent pod, and whisk. (This will help ensure the beans are evenly dispersed throughout the pie.) Set aside to cool.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, rub lemon zest into the sugar and then whisk in the flour and salt until well combined.

  3. Step 3

    In another large bowl, whisk eggs and buttermilk together until well combined. (One minute should be ample, as you don’t want to aerate the eggs too much.)

  4. Step 4

    Add the dry ingredients to eggs and buttermilk. Whisk by hand until fully incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Remove and discard the vanilla pod from the slightly cooled butter mixture and slowly whisk the butter mixture into the batter. Add the lemon juice and whisk one final time.

  6. Step 6

    Place the frozen pie shell on a sheet pan, pour in the filling (it should reach just under the crimped edge) and place in the oven on the center rack, turning the oven down to 350 degrees once you close the door.

  7. Step 7

    Bake for 35 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue baking until the pie is medium brown on top and the filling is set but still slightly jiggly, an additional 45 to 50 minutes.

  8. Step 8

    Let cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours to allow to fully set, and serve at room temperature or cold. The pie is best served the day it’s made, but you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Tip
  • If making your own 9-inch pie crust from scratch, you might want to double the recipe to ensure that you have enough dough to fit into a deep-dish pie pan. It is recommended to make your own pie dough.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
259 user ratings
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Comments

I haven't made it yet; but the article that accompanies this recipe is so lovingly written. Many years ago, when we lived in Mississippi, the wife of my husband's coworker enchanted my husband with a slice of buttermilk chess pie. He declared it was the best thing he had ever tasted. I was standing right there. He was never the same. I had to relocate him to Texas to break that spell. I will be trying to put a spell on him and others come Saturday. Thanks for the inspiration.

Where do you find whole buttermilk? I have tried 4 stores and they only carry low fat.

"Place the frozen pie shell on a sheet pan" = without a pie pan? or into a pie pan and then on a sheet pan? Sorry if this is a dumb question

This is a WILD amount of sugar. The following proportions worked beautifully to fill a 9 inch pie and actually tastes like the main ingredient: 1/2 tbs lemon zest 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (the 1 bean is way too much) 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 c. flour 1/4 tsp salt 3 eggs 1 1/2 c. cultured buttermilk You'll be able to get through a slice without feeling sick. By the way, that pie crust should be pre-baked (375, blind bake 20 minutes, then remove weights and bake 15), then removed from tin and frozen.

Confession: I cannot make good pie crust, no matter what I do. So I bought frozen pie crust. Glad I bought a "deep dish" two-pack because the filling nearly filled both of the crusts. Family liked it - yes it was sweet, I served the pie with a bowl of sliced strawberries which contrasted nicely with the sweet lemony custard.

Would adding buttermilk powder to whole milk work?

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