No matter the time of year, this classic pie with a salty-sweet twist will satisfy every craving.
Salted Honey Chess Pie
Makes 1 (8-inch) pie
Ingredients
- All-Butter Piecrust (recipe follows)
- ¾ cup honey
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons plain yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon lightly packed lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup whole buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Garnish: chopped honey-roasted peanuts, flaked sea salt
All-Butter Piecrust
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- On a lightly floured surface, roll All-Butter Piecrust into a 12-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick. Transfer to an 8-inch cast-iron skillet, pressing into bottom and up sides. Trim excess dough to 1 inch from edge of skillet. Fold edges of dough under, and crimp as desired. Using a fork, prick bottom and sides of crust all over. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Top piecrust with a piece of parchment paper, letting ends extend over sides of skillet. Add pie weights.
- Bake until crust is dry and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights. Bake until crust is mostly dry and set, 5 to 7 minutes more. Let crust cool completely on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
- In a large bowl, whisk together honey, brown sugar, melted butter, flour, cornmeal, zest, and kosher salt. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Loosely cover edges of crust with foil to prevent excess browning.
- Bake until filling is set around the sides and center jiggles slightly when skillet is gently shaken, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Garnish with peanuts and sea salt, if desired.
All-Butter Piecrust
- In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add cold butter, and pulse until mixture is crumbly. With processor running, add 4 tablespoons ice water through food chute in a slow, steady stream just until dough comes together. (Mixture may appear crumbly. It should be moist and hold together when pinched.) Slowly add remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.