Ricotta Lemon-Thyme Pie
By Russell SelanderPublished on October 14, 2020
Time
2 hours, plus 30 minutes resting, 30 minutes chilling, and 5 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
1¼ pounds (567 grams/2½ cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese 1 Herb Single-Crust Pie Dough recipe ¾ cup heavy cream 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 4 (2-inch) strips zest, sliced thin lengthwise1 teaspoon vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon table salt 12 sprigs fresh thyme ⅓ cup water
Before You Begin
We like the flavor of our herb pie dough in this recipe (be sure to use thyme for the herb), but you can use any single-crust pie dough. Our favorite ricotta is Belgioioso Ricotta con Latte Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese.
Instructions
- Line rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Spread ricotta on paper towels into even layer then cover with second triple layer of paper towels. Place second rimmed baking sheet on top and weight with several heavy cans. Let ricotta sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Discard top layer of paper towels, then transfer ricotta to food processor bowl.
- Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
- Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet until edges are set and just beginning to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake crust until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer sheet to wire rack. (Crust must still be warm when filling is added.) Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- While crust bakes, process cream, ⅔ cup sugar, eggs and yolk, grated lemon zest, vanilla, and salt with ricotta in food processor until well combined and smooth, about 30 seconds. With pie still on sheet, pour mixture into warm crust, smoothing top with clean spatula into even layer. Bake until center of pie registers 160 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Let pie cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours.
- Snip off and keep tender, pliable tips of thyme sprigs. (Save woody sprig parts for another use.) Cook ⅓ cup sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Add thinly sliced lemon zest and thyme sprig tips and bring to simmer. Cook until zest begins to soften, 3 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer, reserving simple syrup for another use. Transfer candied zest and thyme to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, separating clumps as needed. Let drain for 1 minute, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Scatter candied zest and thyme decoratively over top of pie. Serve.
Time
2 hours, plus 30 minutes resting, 30 minutes chilling, and 5 hours coolingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
1¼ pounds (567 grams/2½ cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 Herb Single-Crust Pie Dough recipe
¾ cup heavy cream
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 4 (2-inch) strips zest, sliced thin lengthwise
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
12 sprigs fresh thyme
⅓ cup water
Ingredients
1¼ pounds (567 grams/2½ cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 Herb Single-Crust Pie Dough recipe
¾ cup heavy cream
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 4 (2-inch) strips zest, sliced thin lengthwise
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
12 sprigs fresh thyme
⅓ cup water
Ingredients
1¼ pounds (567 grams/2½ cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 Herb Single-Crust Pie Dough recipe
¾ cup heavy cream
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 4 (2-inch) strips zest, sliced thin lengthwise
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
12 sprigs fresh thyme
⅓ cup water
Why This Recipe Works
The Italian version of this pie is typically baked like a cheesecake, but we envisioned ours as the single-crust custard pie we are familiar with stateside. We started by pressing out all the excess water from the cheese to keep our pie crust from getting soggy. Next we amplified the richness of the cheese and smoothed out the custard by adding heavy cream. Two eggs plus a yolk gave the filling structure, and flavor additions of lemon zest and vanilla brightened the filling and added depth. To take this already flavorful pie to the next level, we incorporated thyme into the pie dough, which added an aromatic, slightly woodsy background note. For an attractive sugar-frosted topping, we candied some lemon peel and thyme sprig tips.
Before You Begin
We like the flavor of our herb pie dough in this recipe (be sure to use thyme for the herb), but you can use any single-crust pie dough. Our favorite ricotta is Belgioioso Ricotta con Latte Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese.
Instructions
- Line rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Spread ricotta on paper towels into even layer then cover with second triple layer of paper towels. Place second rimmed baking sheet on top and weight with several heavy cans. Let ricotta sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Discard top layer of paper towels, then transfer ricotta to food processor bowl.
- Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
- Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet until edges are set and just beginning to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake crust until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer sheet to wire rack. (Crust must still be warm when filling is added.) Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- While crust bakes, process cream, ⅔ cup sugar, eggs and yolk, grated lemon zest, vanilla, and salt with ricotta in food processor until well combined and smooth, about 30 seconds. With pie still on sheet, pour mixture into warm crust, smoothing top with clean spatula into even layer. Bake until center of pie registers 160 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Let pie cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours.
- Snip off and keep tender, pliable tips of thyme sprigs. (Save woody sprig parts for another use.) Cook ⅓ cup sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Add thinly sliced lemon zest and thyme sprig tips and bring to simmer. Cook until zest begins to soften, 3 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer, reserving simple syrup for another use. Transfer candied zest and thyme to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, separating clumps as needed. Let drain for 1 minute, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Scatter candied zest and thyme decoratively over top of pie. Serve.
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