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Blood Orange Chess Pie is a creamy and thick custard pie blossoming with fresh blood orange flavor all in a buttery pie crust.

This post originally published in March 2014.

Today is Pi Day! March 14th is always called pi day because the numeric form 3.14 is the value of the mathematical constant π. This day is doubly great for me because not only am I a food blogger who couldn’t wait to make a pie, I’m an elementary school teacher as well. What better way to teach kids about math then feed them a pie?

I didn’t make just any pie either. I decided to make a pie that’s been on my bucket list for a few years. Originally I had planned on making a lemon chess pie but with Blood Oranges in season I had to make a citrus substitution. I went with a Blood Orange Chess Pie.

What makes something a chess pie?

Chess pie is a classic Southern dessert made with a simple egg, sugar, and butter custard baked in a pie crust. It’s rich and sweet with a dense, slightly gooey center and a thin, crackly top. It’s usually a basic flavor like vanilla or buttermilk but it can also have a light fruit flavored custard as well.

One thing unique about it is that it’s a custard pie with the addition of cornmeal. The cornmeal adds to the texture of the pie.

I love the look of these pies because when they bake the top gets a beautiful brown lace pattern on the top.

The pie itself looks like it has two layers. The top is the golden brown and the bottom half is a pinkish color from the blood oranges. The pie is sweet and full of blood orange flavor. The texture is similar to a traditional custard but a little firmer and thicker from the cornmeal.

Ingredients:

refrigerated pie crust dough (or you can use homemade)
granulated sugar
salt
cornmeal
cornstarch
blood oranges (or your favorite type of oranges)
butter
eggs

To make the pie preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pie crust dough in a 9 inch pie pan and flute the edges and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, salt, cornmeal, and cornstarch in a bowl. In another bowl combine the zest of one orange and 2/3 cup of blood orange juice. Add to the cornstarch mixture and mix well. Whisk in the butter and eggs then pour into refrigerated pie crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

What can you top the chess pie with?

I candied some blood orange slices and placed them on top of the pie. You can also put a dusting of powdered sugar on top. Lightly sweetened whipped cream in another great option.

If blood oranges,or oranges in general are not your thing, you can substitute just about any citrus fruit in place of the oranges. If you do end up substituting lemons or limes I would increase the sugar. I didn’t use as much as most recipes call for because the blood oranges are sweeter then many citrus fruits.

Due to the sweetness in the pie, it is delicious served with a steaming hot cup of coffee or a tall glass of milk. This pie is luxury in a pie.

It’s rich, creamy, and so smooth. While it’s pretty sweet the orange flavor helps cut though the sweetness.

Anyway you serve it, it’s a beautiful, tasty pie and a great way to celebrate March 14th! Happy Pi Day!

If you’ve tried my Blood Orange Chess Pie or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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