Caramel Chess Pie
 
Makes 1 (9-Inch) Pie
Ingredients
  • 2 cups sugar ½ cup water
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • All-Butter Pie Dough
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornmeal
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • Vanilla Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
Vanilla Whipped Cream
  • ¾ cup cold heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place oven rack in bottom third of oven.
  2. In a large saucepan, combine sugar and / cup water, stirring until sugar is moistened and being careful not to splash sides of pan (mixture will look like wet sand). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves (do not stir once mixture starts to boil). Bring to a boil over high heat; boil, without stirring, until mixture is a light amber color. (While mixture cooks, brush any sugar crystals on sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water.)
  3. Remove from heat. Slowly add cream, stirring until combined (be careful because mixture will bubble and steam). Slowly stir in butter. Stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool to room temperature.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll All-Butter Pie Dough into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, pressing into bottom and up sides. Trim excess dough to / inch beyond edge of pan, if necessary. Fold edges under and crimp as desired. Lightly prick bottom of piecrust with a fork. Freeze for 15 minutes.
  5. Top dough with a piece of parchment paper, letting ends extend over edges of pan. Add pie weights or dried beans or rice.
  6. Bake until edges are just dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove paper and pie weights. Bake until bottom is dry and set, 5 to 10 minutes more. (Piecrust may puff up some, but this is normal.) Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
  7. Whisk flour and cornmeal into cooled caramel mixture. Whisk in eggs and vinegar until combined. Pour into prepared crust.
  8. Bake until edges are set and puffed but center still has a slight jiggle, 55 minutes to 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted in center will register 200°. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Top with Vanilla Whipped Cream.
Vanilla Whipped Cream
  1. In a medium bowl, beat cream and vanilla with a mixer at medium-high speed until medium to stiff peaks form. Use immediately.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/caramel-chess-pie-2/