Ricotta Pie Recipe

4.99 from 94 votes

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This ricotta pie features a tender, homemade crust filled with a sweet, creamy ricotta filling and a delicate hint of lemon.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Chilling Time1

Total Time2 15

Servings: people

Author: Marcellina

Equipment

1 10-inch/25cm pan with a removable base with 1¼ inch/3cm high sides or 10 inch pie plate (25cm)

Ingredients

Crust

1 ¾ cups all purpose plain flour ((224 grams))
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 ounce unsalted cold butter ((113 grams) )
¾ cup granulated white sugar ((150 grams) )
1 egg
2 egg yolks

Filling

2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese ((500 grams) drained if watery)
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated white sugar ((150 grams))
½ cup heavy cream ((120 mls) )
finely grated zest of one lemon
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon dark rum ((15 mls) )
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ((5 mls) )

For serving

powdered sugar, berries or fruit sauce

Instructions

To make the crust

Chop the cold butter into small pieces then place in a food processor with the all purpose plain flour, baking powder and salt. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
1 ¾ cups all purpose plain flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 4 ounce unsalted cold butter, pinch of salt
Add the sugar and egg and egg yolks then process until the mixture just starts to come together on the sides of the bowl. Remove and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.
¾ cup granulated white sugar, 1 egg, 2 egg yolks
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC and butter and flour a 10 inch/25cm tart pan with a removable base.

For the filling

In a food processor, place all the filling ingredients and process to 1-2 minutes until well combined and smooth. Don't overprocess or too much air will be incorporated into the ricotta causing it to puff in the oven. Refrigerate until the crust is ready.
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, ¾ cup granulated white sugar, ½ cup heavy cream, finely grated zest of one lemon, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon dark rum, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble and bake the ricotta pie

Divide the pie dough in two pieces - ⅔ and ⅓. Rewrap and return the smaller piece to the fridge.
Using the larger piece, press it down to flatten and form a rough circle. Dust the pastry well with flour on both sides.
Roll out the pie dough between two sheets of non-stick parchment paper dusted with more flour until large enough to fit the tart pan. If the pastry is sticking, dust with a little more flour. If the pie dough becomes warm, it will be hard to handle. In that case, pop it into the fridge to chill.
Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and roll the pastry gently around the rolling pin. Lift and unroll into the pan. Pull up the pastry around the sides and encourage it to fall into the corners. Remove the parchment paper. Patch tears with excess pastry. Trim the edges level to the top of the pan.
Pour the filling into the base. Spread and level the filling.
With the scraps and the reserved dough, you’ll make a lattice pattern for the top. Add scraps of pastry to the leftover piece. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper as before. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper the cut into strips
Pour onto crust then tap down lightly a couple of times to remove any air pockets in the filling.
Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet for easier transferring to the the oven.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. The middle will still be a little jiggly but that’s fine. The inside needs to be 160ºF/70ºC when ready.
Allow the ricotta pie to cool, then refrigerate before serving. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
powdered sugar, berries or fruit sauce

Notes

Tips for Success

Use a 10-inch /25cm pie/flan pan with a removable base that has at least 1 1/4 inch (3cm) high sides. Alternatively, use an 11-inch pie/flan pan with lower sides, though the cooking time may vary, and the ratio of filling to crust will be different.
Pie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months
To make the pie dough without a food processor, simply chop the cold butter into small pieces (or coarsely grated) and rub it into the all-purpose plain flour, baking powder, and salt with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar, egg, and egg yolks to form a dough.
Chill the dough thoroughly. This is a soft dough; if it becomes warm, it will be difficult to handle. Return it to the fridge for 30 minutes.
Make homemade ricotta cheese with my easy recipe.
Drain the ricotta if it's watery.
If making the filling by hand, pass the ricotta through a fine sieve to make it smoother.

For more information, read the "Tips for Success and FAQ's" above.

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