This 6-Ingredient Tropical Pie Was One Of Johnny Cash's Favorites

Johnny Cash comes across as a gritty Southern man who valued hard work, simple living, and home cooking. The Southern comfort cooking part is particularly true. For example, an old school Southern cake that was Johnny Cash's favorite was a dish commonly called scripture cake, which only uses fruit mentioned in the Bible. He was known as a deep lover of his mother's recipes, with his son recalling that he was very fond of her peanut butter cookies and fried catfish. One dessert he particularly loved was actually a little tropical: Mama Cash's pineapple pie.

This comfy recipe uses only six ingredients for the filling and comes with minimal instructions. After beating sugar, butter, a cup of crushed pineapple, flour, vanilla, and two eggs together until smooth, you just pour the mix into a store-bought pie shell and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the pie is browned on top, and jiggles only slightly, the filling will be set. Remove the pie from the oven, cool it until slightly warm or room temperature, and serve.

That's all there is to it! The resulting custard-like pie tastes sweet and tangy with a pineapple bite. It pairs just perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. Considering how easy, sugary, and filling this pie is, it's no surprise that it was one of the vintage country dishes that Johnny Cash enjoyed.

Although it's definitely one of those old-school pies everyone's forgotten about, this pineapple pie is actually based on another bygone dessert — chess pie. Chess pie has almost certainly been around for hundreds of years. It's well past its heyday, but still makes appearances in parts of the Midwest and South on special occasions. A semi-custard pie, it generally calls for many of the same ingredients as Johnny Cash's pineapple variation, minus the fruit. Martha Washington, numerous presidents, and even Steven Colbert have all been noted fans of this confection, as well.

Beyond tasting a literal slice of history, pineapple pie can be made several days ahead of time, so it won't get in the way of your hosting duties. If there are leftovers, which isn't likely, they keep in the fridge for up to three days, so you can enjoy them at your leisure. While you can make the recipe with fresh, ripe pineapple, canned pineapple works just as well, if not better, so you don't have to put in extra effort for a tasty result. You can even customize this pie with other fruit to mix up the flavors and make it your own.

On top of all that, as one of Johnny Cash's favorites, you know pineapple pie will be a crowd pleaser for fans of Southern cuisine. It's so beloved that public tours at Cash's boyhood home sometimes involve baking the pie while enjoying his classic tunes. If you're looking to try Johnny Cash's own signature dish, instead of that of Mama Cash, you'll have to opt for his iron pot chili recipe, instead.