Recipe: Italian Cheese Pie (McCall's Cooking School) for Carol

Carol,
Here's your recipe. Enjoy!

ITALIAN CHEESE PIE

FOR THE CRUST:
1 1/2 cups unsifted All Purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1 Tbsp orange juice
FOR THE FILLING:
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp flour
1 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp finely chopped citron
PLUS 1 egg, separated, for brushing on crust

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Sift flour with baking powder and salt; set aside. In medium bowl, with electric mixer, beat butter with sugar and 1 egg until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, orange peel, and juice. Add half flour mixture. With wooden spoon, beat until well blended. Add remaining flour, mixing with hands until dough leaves side of bowl and holds together. Turn out onto board; knead several times to blend. Set aside, covered.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In medium bowl, beat ricotta until creamy. Add sugar, eggs, flour, almond extract, and citron; beat until combined; set aside.

TO MAKE THE PIE:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide pastry in half. On moistened surface, roll half between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 11 inch circle. Remove top paper, fit into 9 inch pie plate. Trim to edge of plate. Brush bottom with egg white.

Roll remaining pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. With pastry cutter, cut into 10 strips, 1/2 inch wide; set aside.

Turn filling into lined pie plate. Place 5 pastry strips across filling, pressing firmly to edge of pie plate. Place remaining strips across first ones to make a lattice.

Reroll trimmings between waxed paper, cut into 1/2 wide strips. Place around edge of pie. With fork, press firmly to pie plate.

With fork, mix egg yolk with 1 Tbsp water; brush over crust. Place a strip of foil, about 2 inches wide, around edge of crust to prevent over-browning.

Bake about 50 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is set. Cool on wire rack, then refrigerate until well chilled-8 hours or overnight.

Makes 8 servings
Source: McCall's Cooking School