Lemon Honey Chess Pie
I originally set out to make a regular lemon chess pie, but as I began measuring out the sugar, it felt a bit too much for this particular day. So, I swapped in some honey. Yes, a sweetener is a sweetener, and if you’re trying to cut back, then, well… I love the subtle flavor of creamy, churned honeys, and that is what I use primarily in all of my recipes. Please keep that in mind if you use a thinner honey, and do let us know if you have any issues with the filling, or decide to tweak the amount of honey. Oh, if you’re wondering about consistency, think of this as a lemon bar in pie form. It’s not 100% accurate but quite close if you’re trying to imagine what it’s like biting into a slice. If you’re curious about why it’s called Chess Pie, or the history of chess pies in general, this is an interesting read. One last note—chess pie is a great make ahead pie, as it holds nicely to serve the next day. In this particular iteration, the "rest" also allows the flavors of the lemon and honey to marry in a lovely way.
Ingredients
- One 9-inch piecrust I use this recipe
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated natural cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons creamy churned honey
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 2 lemons
- Freshly grated zest of 2 lemons
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Lightly flour a counter or cutting board. Roll the dough out into a 10-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the crusts with the back of a form (dipped in flour every few times to prevent it from sticking to the dough), or design the crust into whatever decorative finish you like.
- Combine the eggs, sugar, and honey in a deep bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add the cornmeal, flour, lemon juice, and zest. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter. Pour into the prepared crust.
- Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set and slightly puffed (it settles as it cools). Let cool completely, at least 1 to 2 hours, before slicing.