Lemon Ricotta Pie

I really like lemons. One of the only things I like more than lemons is cheese! My love for lemons has led me to years of making the delicious pie known as Shaker lemon pie or Ohio lemon pie. Only recently when I started making my ricotta cheese did the inspiration come to me. There was one way to improve upon my delicious lemon pie and that was to add ricotta cheese to the pie! Thus I created the recipe for this lemon ricotta pie. If you want to make a pie to delight your taste buds read on.

Tools

• Oven
• Measuring cups
• Cutting board
• Really sharp knife
• Various mixing bowls
• Pie plate
• Fork or Whisk

Ingredients

Filling

• 4 eggs
• 2 medium lemons (I use empire lemons)
• 1 to 2 cups of sugar(190g to 380g) (it depends on how tart you like it)
• 6 ounces of ricotta cheese(175g)(not pictured it was draining at the time)

Pie Crust

• 8 ounces of butter (227g)
• 2 cups of flout (250g)
• a small amount of ice water

The first step of the process is to cut the lemons into super thin slices. I'm talking so thin you can look through the lemon slices like a glass window. Make sure to pick out any seeds you may come across.(warning the pictures contain puns) Once you have sliced up both your lemons and collected them in a mixing bowl it is time to add the sugar. Just go ahead and dump the sugar in the bowl and use your most versatile cooking tool your hands(or a spatula) to make sure the lemon slices are completely covered in sugar. We are basically going to be sugar curing the lemons. So at this point we need to cover the lemons and let them sit at least four hours but preferably overnight. The longer the lemons sit the less bitterness from the white pith will be noticeable in your pie. See you in the morning!

Thanks to the magic of the internet 14 hours have passed and it is time to get on with making this pie! Crack the four eggs into a mixing bowl and give them a light beating. Now add your ricotta to the bowl and smash it apart with your preferred mixing implement. These steps are so violent :) . Once you have made your ricotta pieces about the size of peas it's time to add in the lemons! You may find you have left over sugar in the bottom of the lemon bowl you can scrape it in to the filling or use it to make some tasty lemonade. Up next how to make a tasty flaky crust.

This is my universal pie crust I use it for sweet and savory pies heck I even use it for quiches. It turns out flaky and tasty. The trick is to keep it cold while working with it. Take the butter out of the refrigerator and cut it into small cubes. Add these cubes to the flour. If you don't like dirty hands you can cut the butter into the four with knives or a food processor. I just dig right in and start squishing the butter into the flour. If the butter starts to feel warm or melty put it in the refrigerator to cool down. You are looking to get the flour to the consistency of course sand. Once you have the butter Incorporated into the flour. Make a small well and add ice water a little at a time while mixing until the flour starts to hold together. The goal is a dough that is not sticky but holds together well.(if it gets too sticky you can add more flour) Take this dough and chill it for about a half an hour before rolling it out.

Once the dough is chilled take it out and divide it in half. Once it is divided spread some flour on a surface and get to rolling. You are looking to get your dough about 1/8th inch(5mm) thick Half the dough ball is for the pie bottom and the other half is for the pie top. Time to fill it and fire it in the oven.

Butter up your pie plate then place one of the sheets of dough in the pie plate. Once you have the pie crust in it is time to fill it with the cheesy lemony goodness. Pour the filling into the crust. Use a fork or finger to make sure your lemon wedges are evenly distributed about the pie crust. Now that your filling is in your crust it is time to make sure it doesn't try and escape. Place the top crust over the pie pinch the excess dough off around the pie. Then using your fork crimp the edges of the the pie. Once the pie is crimped cut a few vent slits in the top of the crust and toss it in your oven to bake at 350°F(176°C) for about 45 minutes to an hour.(links are to countdown timers) The pie is ready when a knife can be inserted and come out clean. If the edges of your crust are browning too much for taste you can protect them with some aluminum foil. Once the pie is done baking let it cool...I know it is tempting to dig right in but you have to give the filling time to set up.

Once your pie is cool cut it up and consume it with friends or alone. It will keep for several days so if you are taking down this delicious pie on your own you can spread out your enjoyment by keeping it in the refrigerator. It goes really well with some whipped cream that has very little sugar or paired with black tea.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my instructable. If you make this pie yourself I would love to hear how it turned out for you. Happy baking and happy making!