Recipe: Italian Ricotta Pie with Pate Sucree (Pasta Frolla)

RICOTTA PIE WITH PATE SUCREE (PASTA FROLLA)

"Ricotta pie is as common in Italian American communities as chocolate cake is in the Midwest. If you visit an Italian pastry bakery (as opposed to a bread bakery; the two are often separate establishments), you're almost sure to find a display of ricotta pies. We visit Boston's North End frequently and have found the ricotta pies are especially evident at Christmas and Easter, when small tables bearing the pies crowd out onto the sidewalk, and well-dressed young men are spotted carrying pies in string-bound, white cardboard boxes - probably home to a big family feast.

Ricotta pie is very similar to New York-style cheesecake, in that it has a flour rather than graham cracker-based crust. Pasta frolla, a version of which is given here, is the all-purpose crust used in Italian sweet pastries. Including egg and sugar, as well as the more traditional elements of flour and butter, it's a rich, tender, almost cookie-like crust. The filling is lighter and less sweet than cheesecake; traditionally flavored with lemon and vanilla, it can also include citron, candied peel, and/or chocolate. This is a basic version; feel free to add your own personal touches."

FOR THE CRUST (Pate Sucree):
1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) pastry or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon nonfat dry milk (optional, but helpful for browning and tenderness)
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces) cold butter
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind or a few drops of lemon oil

FOR THE FILLING:
3/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 pounds (4 cups) whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese, drained if necessary*
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon oil or 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

CRUST:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the cold butter. Whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla, and water and stir into the dry mixture; the dough should be crumbly but hold together when squeezed.

Roll the dough into a 13- to 14-inch circle. Roll from the center out in firm strokes; don't overwork the dough. Transfer dough to a 9-inch removable-bottom cheesecake pan, or 9- or 10-inch springform pan. The dough is fragile, so you will probably have to patch up holes and tears that occurred as you were trying to get it into the pan. Don't worry; these won't show. Press the dough all the way up the sides of the pan. Place pan in refrigerator to chill while you make filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla, and lemon oil. Mix slowly but thoroughly; you don't want to beat air into the filling, but you do want to combine the ingredients well.

Remove chilled crust from refrigerator and brush with a bit of milk on bottom and sides. This will help prevent crust from becoming soggy. Pour filling into crust.

Place pie on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave pie in oven an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, remove from pan and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve pie at room temperature, or refrigerate if you wish to serve it later.

*Ricotta cheese made with part skim milk is much closer to true Italian ricotta cheese than is whole-milk ricotta. Whole-milk ricotta cheese tends to be "looser" than skim-milk ricotta and should be drained before using, in a yogurt strainer or in a cheesecloth bag, for several hours in the refrigerator.

Makes one 9- or 10 inch pie, 12 servings
Source: The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion by King Arthur Flour