Everyone begs my mother-in-law for this easy dessert recipe—now she’s sharing it

It’s ideal for any celebration.

Growing up in New England, I spent many weekends visiting Italian American bakeries in Boston’s North End. One day, while hunting for cannolis, I came across a dessert that looked like cheesecake. I quickly noticed it lacked the classic graham cracker crust and instead sat in a traditional pie shell. Curious, I bought a slice of what I soon learned was ricotta pie. I expected it to be underwhelming compared to the other treats I had picked, but my first bite proved me completely wrong.

For years, I tried to recreate a ricotta pie that matched the ones from the North End. My husband’s family owns Sicilian restaurants across from some of the neighborhood’s iconic bakeries, and I have seen ricotta pie appear on the table at countless family celebrations and holidays. It has always been a dessert I wanted to figure out how to pull off.

Thankfully, just in time for Easter, my mother-in-law shared a treasured family ricotta pie recipe that has been passed down for generations, from her sister, who received it from their aunt. Excited to have such a prized recipe in my hands, I could not wait to test it in my own kitchen.

Below, you will find the full recipe for my Italian American in-law’s ricotta pie, along with tips to help it turn out just like the ones from the bakeries.

How To Make Ricotta Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 stick of chilled, grated unsalted butter, 1 stick of chilled, grated margarine, 2 egg yolks, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients until a dough forms. Press the dough into a 9x13-inch pan or a pie pan.
2. To make the filling, combine 2 pounds of ricotta cheese, 4 eggs, 2 cups of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the zest of one lemon. Mix all the ingredients. It’s okay if the mixture looks soupy; then pour it into the prepared pie pan over the crust.
3. Bake the ricotta pie for 45 minutes. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover the pie with aluminum foil.
4. After removing the ricotta from the oven, let it chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set. Then cut the pie into squares or slices. (My aunt-in-law likes to cut the pies into squares and serve them in muffin liners, a playful hosting trick she learned from her aunt Mary.)

Tips for Making Ricotta Pie

This ricotta pie takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, and then the oven and fridge handle the rest. Aside from the ricotta, most of the ingredients were already in my pantry and fridge.

The crust baked up buttery, tender, and crumbly, while the filling turned creamy, fluffy, and almost cheesecake-like. Lemon zest brightened the rich ricotta, giving the pie a light lift and perfectly balancing the flavors, leaving me reaching for slice after slice.

Below, I’ve shared tips I picked up while making this recipe, along with advice from my mother-in-law’s sister for creating a truly outstanding ricotta pie.

• Prep your hands before handling the dough. The pie dough can be sticky, and to prevent it from sticking to your fingers while pressing it into the pan, my mother-in-law’s sister recommends rubbing a few drops of olive oil on your hands first.
• Grease the pie pan. To keep slices intact when serving, coat the pan with butter. This helps the pie release cleanly and makes serving much easier.
• Add garnishes for a beautiful finish. A light dusting of powdered sugar, a layer of lemon curd, or piped whipped cream can make this ricotta pie look as stunning as it tastes.

Read the original article on Allrecipes