Calm down. We don’t want to start any food wars. Yes, there are about as many versions of chess pie in the South as there are cooks. So we aren’t daring to claim authenticity. In fact, we bet there aren’t too many versions made with browned butter like ours. We even left out the lemon, often the flavoring in this custard-like pie, so that the browned butter could offer its nutty notes unimpeded, a great contrast to the sour accents in the buttermilk and vinegar.
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Single-Crust version of Shortening-Butter Crust
2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups regular cultured buttermilk
2 tablespoons plain white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sweetened whipped cream, for topping
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Continue cooking until a light amber brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. (The butter will continue to brown and darken.)
3. Meanwhile, prepare and shape the crust as directed in a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan. Prick the crust repeatedly with a flatware fork across the flat surface and up the sides.
4. Loosely cover the crust with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Set on a wire rack and uncover. (Maintain the oven’s temperature.)
5. Whisk both sugars and eggs in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Then whisk in the flour, cornmeal, and salt until dissolved. Finally, whisk in the browned butter and all the milk solids in the saucepan, as well as the buttermilk, vinegar, and vanilla, until smooth. Pour into the still-warm crust.
6. Bake until puffed, lightly browned, and almost set with just a little jiggle at the center, 25 to 28 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1½ hours; then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days before serving. Garnish individual servings with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
