Once upon a time, there were two babies named Pippa and Milo. They were the best of friends.
When Milo read books, Pippa read books. When Pippa cuddled her baby, Milo cuddled his baby. When Milo said, “Time to eat!” Pippa said, “I’m all in.”
Pippa and Milo both like sweet treats. Pippa’s mama is a pie baker, and Milo’s parents have an ice cream maker. When their families stay together, decadence ensues.
Here’s Milo blessing the pie pastry for this Fancy Chocolate Chess Pie.
Milo’s dad doesn’t bake pies too often, but he has made two kinds of pie, one of which happens to be Chocolate Chess. This isn’t as coincidental as it sounds – Milo’s family lives in Virginia, and Chess Pie was born and bred in the South. The other pie Milo’s dad can make is a PB & J pie. Pippa’s mama thinks it is a very unfortunate omission that there is no recipe for a PB & J pie in her cookbook, and might just have to try making one soon anyway.
Here is a picture of many egg yolks that put the Fancy in this Chocolate Chess Pie.
Pippa’s mama couldn’t remember if she had made this pie before. She thought she hadn’t, until just now, when she was browsing the “Chess” tag on her own website and stumbled upon a post from 2013. Now she remembers that this was Pie #99 in her gallery and she can’t count it again. Too bad, cause this would have been a fiiiine looking image for the pie gallery. But y’know, no real regrets. It was delish again, seven years later, eaten with different folks.
Milo’s mama used a Salt and Straw Ice Cream Starter Kit (link here but it looks pretty much unavailable anymore which is sad and disappointing news for all of us) to make absolutely delicious Freckled Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. The two decadent desserts were enjoyed side by side one evening; a slice of pie followed by a bowl of ice cream. Don’t worry, Pippa and Milo got to taste-test the ice cream at lunch the next day.
P.S. Pippa’s mama now owns an ice cream maker also. She’s written about her love for Salt and Straw Ice Cream before. If S&S ever starts selling Honey Lavender Starter Kits, you all know what she wants for her birthday for the rest of her life.
The End.
The Peace of Pie 
We have a Salt and Straw in downtown San Diego and the line goes down the street!! Your pie looks divine, as always.
Mmmmm, very good to know! Thanks Jolie. 🙂
It’s my turn to be intrigued now – Chess Pie? is it checkerboard, or have pawns jumping out of the pastry? I’m going to have to look this up!!
I’ve heard several ideas about the origin of the name, none of them really relating to the word “chess”… could be that they were kept in a piece of furniture called a “pie chest” and chest turned to “chess”. I’ve also heard a story but don’t know how accurate it is, that it could have come from someone asking “what kind of pie is this?” And the answer being, “It’s just pie,” or, “It’s jes’ pie”!