Description
Creamy ricotta pie delights dessert enthusiasts with its rich Italian heritage. Delicate pastry and smooth ricotta filling blend perfectly when you savor each heavenly slice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 32 oz (905 g) whole-milk ricotta
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp almond extract
- 1 egg
- Splash of water
Instructions
- Pastry Preparation: Pulse flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a food processor until uniformly mixed.
- Butter Integration: Add cold butter, pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then introduce eggs to form a cohesive dough ball.
- Dough Shaping: Divide dough into two portions, rolling one segment into an 11-inch circle and draping into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; perforate the base with a fork and freeze for 10 minutes.
- Crust Blind Baking: Roll the second dough portion into a 10-inch circle and refrigerate; line the chilled crust with parchment paper and ceramic weights, baking on the lower oven rack for 20 minutes, then remove weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until lightly golden.
- Filling Creation: Whip ricotta until smooth, then blend in sugar, eggs, lemon juice, zest, and almond extract to create a silky, fragrant mixture.
- Pie Assembly: Pour the filling evenly into the cooled pie shell, then retrieve the chilled top crust and score a delicate lattice pattern.
- Finishing Touches: Brush egg wash along the bottom crust edges and top crust, position the top layer over the filling, seal meticulously, and trim excess dough.
- Baking and Cooling: Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes until golden-brown and slightly puffed, then allow to cool completely for at least 2 hours before serving at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
- Chill Dough Strategically: Freezing the base crust for 10 minutes helps prevent shrinkage and maintains crisp, flaky texture during baking.
- Master Pie Weight Technique: Using ceramic weights prevents the crust from puffing up and ensures an even, smooth bottom layer during pre-baking.
- Control Moisture Carefully: Pat ricotta cheese dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid, preventing a watery filling and ensuring a creamy, dense texture.
- Protect Pie Edges: Cover crust edges with aluminum foil if browning too quickly, preventing burning while allowing the filling to cook evenly.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 366
- Sugar: 19 g
- Sodium: 157 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 112 mg