Lemon Buttermilk Chess Tart Recipes

LEMON BUTTERMILK CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl, combine sugar, cornmeal, flour and salt.
• In another bowl, beat eggs thoroughly.
• Add sugar mixture; mix well.
• Add melted butter, lemon zest and juice, buttermilk and vanilla to egg mixture, mixing to blend thoroughly after each addition to prevent lumping.
• Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell; bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and custard is set.
• Remove pie to rack; cool completely.
• Sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar and garnish each serving with whipped cream.

SOUTHERN LEMON CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar, and add the eggs one by one. Blend in the lemon juice, zest, buttermilk, vanilla and cornmeal so you have a light mixture. Pour filling into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or more until center is almost completely set.
• TIP: LEMON PEPPER
• This is a great tip to lower your salt intake. Just peel the zest from a lemon, avoiding the white pith which is bitter. Bake at a low temperature, like 300 for about 2035 minutes, until peel is dry (temperature depends on how big a batch). Coarsely chop, and blend in a spice grinder with 15 black peppercorns, 10 white peppercorns, 8 allspice berries, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder. Pulse to combine.
• LEMON BUTTER
• Soft butter. Juice lemons, add shallots and parsley. Season with salt and white pepper. Mix well and form into logs for serving and freezing.

LEMON BUTTERMILK CHESS TARTLETS

Steps:

• Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface, fit it into 8 tartlet tins, each 3 3/4 inches across the top and 3/4 inch deep, and roll a rolling pin over the edges of the tins to trim the excess dough. Chill the shells for 30 minutes.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the buttermilk, the cornmeal, the grated zest, the lemon juice, and the salt. Divide the mixture among the tartlet shells and bake the tartlets on a baking sheet in the lower third of a preheated 425°F. oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. and bake the tartlets for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until they are golden and set. Let the tartlets cool in the tins on racks until they can be handled, remove them from the tins, and let them cool completely on the racks. The tartlets may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered loosely in a cool place. Dust the tartlets lightly with the confectioners' sugar and garnish them with the lemon zest knots.