Brown Sugar celebrates the sweet side of soul food with delicious, down-home desserts collected from African-American cooks around the country. Author Joyce White calls this updated classic one of her favorite fancy treats.

When I was collecting recipes for my book Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches, John Wesley sent me a recipe for chess pie that has been in his family for almost sixty-five years.

John is the music coordinator at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, and he recounted in his letter a funny anecdote about trying to mix the pie in a heavy-duty mixer. Every time the filling would separate during the baking, forcing John back to the kitchen again.

Finally, John got out an old wire whisk, mixed the filling by hand, and the pie blended and stayed that way.

"So much for technology," John wrote with just a hint of sarcasm.

John's pie has become my favorite "fancy" summer dessert, which I have modified with whipped egg whites and bake in a fancy tart pan. I love the tart sweetness of this pie, and yes, mix the filling briskly with a wire whisk for best results.

1 10-inch Fully Baked Single Tart Crust
4 eggs
1 to 1¼ cups sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
¼ teaspoon cider vinegar or cream of tartar

Set aside the tart crust to cool. (You can also use a 9-inch baked piecrust.)

Carefully crack the eggs one at a time and place the yolk and the egg white into two separate small bowls. If the egg white is free of yolk, transfer to a large spotless clean bowl for whipping or to the bowl of a standing mixer. If the egg yolk drips into the egg white, discard that egg white, and break another egg, using a clean bowl. Set aside the egg whites to warm to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Transfer the egg yolks to a large mixing bowl and beat briskly with a wire whisk for a few seconds. Add the sugar and salt and whisk again. Add the heavy cream and beat briskly until smooth. Stir in the lemon peel and lemon juice and mix until blended. Set aside.

Sprinkle the vinegar or cream of tartar over the egg whites. Using a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium-high speed just until they hold slight peaks. Stir a large spoonful of the egg whites into the filling and mix well. Fold in the remaining egg whites, and mix gently but thoroughly until blended.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell. Set the pan on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the custard is firm and puffy and set in the center. Don't overbake the pie; it will continue to cook as it cools.

Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Serve at room temperature, or chill for 15 or 20 minutes, if desired.

Makes 5 or 6 servings