Saturday, October 11, 2008
Weekend Bites Arnold's Puffs Out Its Chess: New Twist on Chess Pie
Posted by Nicki Wood on Sat, Oct 11, 2008 at 1:00 PM
At Arnold’s last week, we discovered another of the twists that keep the meat-and-three at the top of our list for a good hot lunch.
After our feast of savory, just-tangy-enough greens, crisp fried green tomatoes and chicken and dumplings, we had a dessert we’d never had before: chess pie topped with puffy golden meringue.
No. Way. A meringue-topped chess pie. I’ll be cow-kicked and horn-swoggled. Not in ~mumble~ years in the South have I ever seen a chess pie topped with meringue.
It’s not an outrage against culinary protocol, exactly, but not traditional either. Like mayonnaise on French fries, or tuna and corn on a pizza—it's just a massive paradigm shift for me.
But is it a good idea? We tried it, of course, and it is great chess pie—sweet-sweet-sweet, like it's supposed to be, with a less-sweet topping of meringue. More sugar, more fluff. I got no problem with it.
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(sputtering) But-but-but...wouldn't this destroy the supreme pleasure and crowning feature of the chess pie—that caramelized creme-brulee-like crust that develops on top during baking?
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Sadly, yes, somewhat. I recall that your chocolate chess pie has a world-class crust on it. And that is somewhat softened in an Arnold's meringue-topped pie. Still, it's damn good pie, almost chewy, and not eggy at all, and to me, those are the important qualities.
