How to Make a Lemon Chess Pie

A sweet act of friendship brings to the table a beautiful, delicious lemon chess pie recipe you’ll want to keep and bake for years to come.

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Story by Iris Gonzalez

Lemon chess pie is a such a classic southern dessert but this particular pie is much more. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving, or any occasion when you want to share something delicious and loaded with good vibes.

That’s because it’s a recreation of a beloved childhood pie done in honor of a friend’s birthday. I recreated this recipe as a gluten-free version using Pamela’s late mother’s scrap paper, the one listing ingredients for her pie – and little else.

I’m a baker, too, so I recognized the shorthand list that represented a recipe. Could I prepare a new pie as close to the ones that Pamela recalled? [Spoiler alert, according to Pamela: Yes!]

First, however, I had to tinker in the kitchen a little bit.

This particular version of lemon chess has neither flour or cornmeal to stabilize the filling. The final product was full of creamy, tangy, custardy lemon goodness – and celiac-friendly as I baked it into a Trader Joe’s gluten-free pie shell.

The incredible thing about this pie is it is so easy. You bake the crust, mix the filling together, pour it into the cooled crust, then pop it back in the oven until the filling is almost set.

If you are a fan of lemon curd and lemon bars, you’ll love this it. Because you’ll be using the lemon zest, I suggest that you buy organic lemons. Organic ones tend to be smaller, however, so don’t be surprised if you use more of them for the juice.

You can make your own homemade pie crust or use store-bought refrigerated pie dough. Bake the crust first and cool before adding the filling. Aim to underbake it by a minute so the edges are not brown and don’t forget to dock the crust. That’s just a fancy term for using a fork to prick some small holes in the pie shell so it doesn’t puff up and crack while baking “blind” or empty.

You can serve this pie after it has cooled to room temperature without refrigerating it. If you have leftovers, it is best to refrigerate them.

The pie will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Lemon Chess Pie Recipe

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1 store bought pie crust 
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 extra-large room temperature eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted room temperature butter 
• The juice of 3-4 organic lemons, about ¼ cup juice
• The zest of one lemon, about 3 loosely filled tablespoons

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and move one of the racks to the lowest setting.
2. Bake the pre-made pie shell, making sure to dock the interior. Remove from oven and cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and butter until fluffy.
4. Add in the eggs to mix, one at a time. 
5. Zest two (or more) lemons until you have about three tablespoons of zest. Add to mixer.
6. Juice lemons until you have ¼ cup lemon juice. Pour the juice through a fine sieve to remove any seeds and pulp.
7. Add lemon juice to the batter mixture. Mix well.
8. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake in the oven with the rack set at the lowest setting. Bake for 45 minutes. The pie is done when you jiggle the sides of the pie plate and the middle is only a little jiggly and the top is browned. 
9. Let cool completely before cutting into the pie, as it needs to at set first – although cooling, chilling and then serving it makes this pie even better.

Iris Gonzalez is a journalist who covers technology, cybersecurity, and bioscience innovation in San Antonio’s startup community at Startups San Antonio. You can also check out her writing on food, travel, and culture at IrisGonzalez.com.

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