Gettin' something off my chess

Today's Tennessean has a great article about chess pie ...

Chess pie, after all, is a Southerner's crème brûlée. The spoon cracks a thin yet crisp toasted-amber layer before slipping through buttery egg goo and gently bumping against firm crust. It's like pecan pie without the nuts, the syrupy sweetness balanced by a touch of cornmeal, vinegar or buttermilk.

Although we claim it as our own, chess pie isn't necessarily Southern, and, like its filling, its history is murky. In his book Southern Food, local author and historian John Egerton said the British had a "cheese pie" with similar ingredients. Older Southern cookbooks included similar pies with names like transparent pie and Jefferson Davis custard.

Read the rest here.

The Tennessean's article includes a list of restaurants and stores in which you can purchase quality chess pie. I'm chagrined that Murfreesboro's famous Kleer-Vu restaurant was not included. I say this with some authority, having consumed at least 100 slices of chess pie therein over the years: Kleer-Vu serves the best chess pie around.

Let me know when you want to go and I'll prove it to you.