Sweet Ricotta Pie

Today I decided to make a brand-new recipe… well pretty much all of these recipes are new, but I’ve never even tasted a sweet ricotta pie, so I had no idea what to expect out of this. I made the dough on Monday and kept it in the fridge. I have to say, one way to not gain weight when eating desserts is to put your child in a front-carrier while you roll out chilled pie dough. What a workout! I’m pretty sure I worked off all the calories in a slice of this pie.

This recipe came from, once again, the Baking with Julia book. In case you’re wondering what it looks like, here’s a shot of the cover:

So first I put these ingredients in a mixer.

It said to use “anise extract” which I had to look up. It’s a licorice flavored liqueur. The very thought of it discusted me so thankfully Julia lists a few different substitutes you can use. One being almond extract, so I used that instead. It smells heavenly so I thought it would be a safe bet.

The filling mixed.

I rolled out the pie dough and put it in the pan. This actually (besides the heavy workout) went very well. I usually have issues with the pie crust sticking to the counter and cracking when I transfer it to the pan and none of that happened. I don’t know if it was the different recipe or the fact that I refrigerated it for so long, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Filling is in and cinnamon is sprinkled on top.

Lattice crust is placed on top. My sister-in-law gave me a fluted pastry wheel that does the fancy edges for my birthday. I love it because it makes me look like a real baker even though it is super easy. In case you’re interested in one, you can buy the one that I have here.

Finished Pie.

It said to cook it 35-40 minutes, I baked mine for 45 because it just didn’t look done… although I still wasn’t too sure what it was supposed to look like. I let it cool and then put it in the fridge to serve chilled.

Consensus: it was alright. I think we were all expecting something a little more stellar. It wasn’t bad, just a bit bland and contrary to it’s name, not all that sweet. It wasn’t a throw away dessert but probably not one that I’ll make again. The crust however was good and I’m sure I’ll use that recipe over again.

Happy eating!