Blood Orange Chess Pie
Chess pie is great for the winter when fresh fruit is not a plentiful or more expensive. The creamy pie is perfect for incorporating your favorite citrus, like blood orange.
If you cannot find blood oranges then you can substitute Cara Cara Oranges, Valencia Oranges, Navel Oranges, or Pink Grapefruit.
If can use store bought pie shells or pie dough to speed up process if you would like.
Note:
If making it fancy with sliced blood oranges. Place the pie in the oven at 350° for 15-20 minutes, until the pie starts to thicken. Then quickly add your sliced blood oranges in a circular patter with 1 whole slice in the center.
Place the pie back in the oven until the filling is set around 30-40 more minutes. You will know it's set because the center will hold as you jiggle the pie.
Ingredients
Flaky all butter pir crust
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter (6 ounces)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, plus more for filling the pie shell
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Ice water
1 large egg
Filling
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup stone ground cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely grated blood orange zest
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Preparation
Pie Dough
Cut 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and toss to combine.
Press the butter between your index finger and thumbs using a slow snapping motion to create large shards of butter. Rotate through all the pieces of butter until they have all been flattened out and semi incorporated in flour. The mixture should look lumpy. There will be time to incorporate the flour further into dough later.
Add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, then add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time while tossing the flour mixture to absorb each addition. Add just enough water until the dough comes together when squeezed, about 2 1/2 tablespoons water total. Lightly dust the counter with more flour and gently bring the dough together just until it forms a ball. It will require a small amount of kneading, about 2 to 3 turns. Avoid using too much bench flour and over kneading. Add a few sprinkles of ice water if the dough is too dry.
Roll the dough gently into a rough 4 x 8-inch rectangle. Brush off any excess flour. Using a bench scraper, fold the dough half. Repeat rolling and folding once more to create an easy lamination. At this point you should still be able to see dots and streaks of butter in the dough.
Lightly press a rolling pin into the dough to help form it into a round that’s about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Pie Crust
Let the pie dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Fold gently in half and transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish.
Prick the bottom of the pie with a fork,
Freeze pie shell for 15 minutes.
Place a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven, then heat the oven to 400°F.
Arrange sheet of parchment paper over the crust, making sure it covers the entire pie shell and crust.
Fill the parchment paper-lined pie shell with pie stones, granulated sugar, or dry beans. Gently push the filler towards the edges to help the border maintain its shape and keep the walls from shrinking.
Bake on the heated baking sheet for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment with sugar or beans (keep the sugar for future use). Prick the bottom of the crust again with a fork. Bake until the bottom is set, 3 to 5 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Filling
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Place 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon blood orange zest, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Melt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter. Add to the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in 5 large eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before the next, without adding too much air. Add 3/4 cup heavy cream, 2/3 cup blood orange juice, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract, and whisk to combine. Pour into the cooled par-baked pie shell.
Bake pie on a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven until golden and center has a slight wobble about 55 minutes. You will know it's set because the center will hold as you jiggle the pie. Watch carefully to prevent overbaking. Turn off heat and leave pie in the oven slightly open to cool gently and prevent the custard from cracking. Transfer to a wire rack after an hour; let cool completely, 4 to 5 hours.
Keywords: Dessert Pie
