I grew up eating custard, which forms the basis of some of my favourite desserts. Cornmeal was a staple in my household, so aside from cornbread and sadza, I’m not opposed to using it in other recipes, such as a custard pie! Then there was glorious condensed milk. Luckily I'll never have to give it up because there are dairy-free versions, the creamy sweetness is unparalleled.

The inspiration for this recipe was the chess pie, an old recipe with origins in England made in many American Southern states, Virginia and New England. The main ingredients are typically milk, eggs, butter, sugar and cornmeal. I used condensed milk and evaporated milk to add to the richness. The cornmeal, of course, adds a bit of texture (but that also depends on the coarseness).

Lemon and chocolate are common additions to other chess pie recipes, but I wanted to stick to an original custard-like filling!