Vanilla chess pie
A Southern American pie with vanilla egg custard, lightly thickened with cornmeal.
Active time35 min
Cooking1 h 15 min
Total5 hResting : 3 h
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Ingredients
- 114 g unsalted butter
- 227 g whipping cream with at least 35 % fat
- 200 g fresh whole eggs, net weight without shells
- 50 g drinking water
- 14 g vanilla extract
- 171 g plain wheat flour
- 18 g fine yellow cornmeal, not cornstarch
- 6 g fine salt
- 298 g white sugar
- 14 g cider vinegar
Preparation
Combine 150 g flour with 3 g salt. Rub in 113.5 g cold butter, leaving small flakes, then add the ice-cold water. Bring together without prolonged kneading, flatten and refrigerate for 30 min.
114 g unsalted butter50 g drinking water171 g plain wheat flour6 g fine salt- bowl
Use the remaining 10 g flour on the worktop and rolling pin. Roll about 3 mm thick, line the tin and fold trimmings into the rim. A deep 23 cm tin suits a family pie. Refrigerate for 15 min.
- rolling pin
- deep pie tin
Heat a conventional oven to 190 °C with a low shelf. Line the pastry with baking paper and reusable baking weights. Bake for 15 min, remove paper and weights, then bake for another 5 min. Cool for 5 min.
- oven
- baking paper
- baking weights
Break and beat the eggs, then weigh the stated shell-free amount. Whisk with the cream, vanilla, sugar, cornmeal, 11 g wheat flour and 3 g salt reserved for the filling. Stir in the vinegar and pour into the part-baked shell.
227 g whipping cream with at least 35 % fat200 g fresh whole eggs, net weight without shells14 g vanilla extract18 g fine yellow cornmeal, not cornstarch298 g white sugar14 g cider vinegar- bowl
- whisk
Set the tin on a baking tray and bake for about 50 min at 190 °C. The top should be golden and the centre just set with a slight wobble. Check before the end and shield the rim with foil if it browns too much.
- oven
- baking tray
- foil
Cool on a rack for about 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing. Keep leftovers covered in the fridge.
- rack
- knife
Allergens
- Eggs
- Gluten
- Milk
Composition to check for: Celery, Crustaceans, Fish, Lupin, Molluscs, Mustard, Tree nuts, Peanuts, Sesame, Soy, Sulphites.
Sources and credits
Photo: Au Menu — created with ImageGen at Roch’s request · Editorial permission from Roch for Au Menu; OpenAI terms
Au Menu · AI-generated illustration