Bright citrus flavors of lemon and orange infuse this sweet and creamy ricotta pie. Ricotta pie is a traditional Easter dessert which has so many variations according to individual family recipes. But if I’m to be honest it really isn’t just for Easter, this pie is welcomed any time of the year when you’re wanting a special dessert to serve.
I have another variation of ricotta pie that I make in my own family as well, it’s filled with mini chocolate chips, citron, zest and a hint of cinnamon with flavors like the inside of a cannoli.
But this dreamy version lets the sweetened ricotta shine with hints of vanilla, lemon and orange. This pie is also topped with a lattice crust which reminds me of an Easter basket, and besides the more crust the better in my book!
With Easter right around the corner this pie would be a perfect addition to your dessert table, Happy Easter!
- Use a 9 inch deep dish pie pan
- Pastry for a double crusted pie, either homemade or a good quality store bought one.
- 2¾ cups of whole milk ricotta*** IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you drain your ricotta really good, excess moisture will affect the cooking time and texture. You can drain it overnight in the fridge if it's the deli kind sitting in some water. Or you can look for a full fat supermarket version.
- ¾ c. sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
- zest of 1 large orange
- zest of 1 large lemon or 2 small
- reserve a pinch of each to sprinkle on top
- small pastel colored chocolate eggs for garnish presentation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the drained ricotta with the sugar until very smooth.
- Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in the vanilla and lemon extract
- Fold in the lemon and orange zest to well combined.
- Place 1 half of your double pie crust into your pie plate, unbaked
- Pour all the filling into the pie shell.
- Place the whole plate onto a rimmed cookie sheet for easy in and out of the oven.
- Take the other piece of dough, roll it out and make 6 or 8 strips of dough and place them over the filling in a criss cross design.
- I usually brush some cream over the top of the crust to make a golden crust, you can do an egg wash as well, then sprinkle the pinch of zest you set aside all over the top.
- Bake the pie for around 45 minutes or until ricotta is set and a toothpick comes out clean and crust golden.
- Let it cool down then refrigerate before eating
- Garnish with a handful of pastel colored, small size chocolate eggs on top for presentation.