SC - OOP: Chess Pie

[sjk3 at cornell.edu]

> "I'm looking to see if anyone knows the origin of why Chess pie is 
> called what it is, <snip>
> 
> * * * * 
> 
> Can anyone help her?  I checked several reference books at work, 
> but none of them agree.  One says it comes from "chest" because 
> it keeps well in a pie chest.  Another that it is deep like a chest.  
> Several sources say the name derives from "cheese".  A cute (but 
> dubious) story says that the creator of the recipe was asked what 
> it was called, and replied, "It's jess' pie."
> 
> Brighid, up *far* too late, making stuff to bring to 12th Night

    I tried looking this up in the online OED (working for a major 
university does have some advantages :-), but had no luck.  Webster's 
Third New International Dictionary has the following:

"chess pie also chess cake \'ches\ n [prob. alter. of cheese pie, cheese 
cake] : a dessert consisting essentially of a filling made of eggs, 
butter, and sugar and baked in individual tart shells of rich pastry"

HTH

Sandra Kisner
sjk3 at cornell.edu