RICOTTA PIE

This started off as a cannoli pie, but with time it morphed into something different enough to require a new name. While this is a plan-ahead pie (about 24 hours to strain the ricotta), it's also a super easy throw together pie so maybe I should have called it Dichotomy pie. It's the perfect treat to quell that existential crisis we can all feel brewing once or twice a year.

Ingredients are listed in the order they appear in the recipe and anything that requires prep is in bold. Ingredients are bolded in the directions when you first encounter them as well as when they are reintroduced after being set aside. All ingredients are Capitalized.

Source recipes: Snappy Gourmet & Cooking Classy

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*HEADS UP! Parts of this recipe will require 24 hours to strain*

INGREDIENTS:

Cannoli:

1 3/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar, plus more for coating

1/4 teaspoon Salt

3 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, diced into small pieces

1/3 cup Marsala Wine, plus more as needed

1 Large Egg

Vegetable Oil or Shortening, for frying (about 8 cups)

OR, if making cannoli dough to use for the crust feels like A LOT, just use two boxes of Vanilla Pizzelles (or 7 large store bought Cannoli shells if you can find them).

Crust:

Fried Cannoli Dough Strips OR 2 boxes of Vanilla Pizelles

1 Tablespoon granulated Sugar

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 cup Pistachios, crushed and divided

6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Filling:

1 1/2 cups Ricotta Cheese, *strained overnight

8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon fresh Orange Zest

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Baking Chocolate, grated

Toppings:

remaining crushed Pistachios

Pomegranate Molasses

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TOOLS:

Cheese cloth or similar strainer

Blender or Food Processor

Electric Mixer

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DIRECTIONS:

To make the Cannoli:

If you're using Pizzelles skip to the next section!

Lightly coat a bowl in Vegetable Oil and dice 3 Tbsp Butter, set aside.

To blender or food processor add 1 3/4 cups Flour, 1 1/2 Tbsp Sugar and 1/4 tsp Salt. Pulse in short bursts about 10 times. Add 3 Tbsp diced Butter and pulse in short bursts just until there aren't clumps of Butter.

Add in 1/3 cup Marsala Wine and 1 Whole Egg. Pulse to mix well, while adding additional Wine to bring dough together in a soft shaggy mass (you shouldn't need more than a few Tbsp extra Wine).

Shape into a round, transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Heat a large pot with 1 1/2-inches Vegetable Oil to 345 - 355 degrees. Working with half the dough at a time (and keeping other half covered in the bowl) roll dough out very thinly onto a well floured surface (nearly 1/16-inch). Cut into strips.

Using metal tongs, carefully immerse small batches of the strips in preheated Oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 1 - 2 minutes (be sure to watch oil temp so oil doesn't get too hot and burn the dough. You can fry up to 6 at a time).

Remove from Oil using metal tongs to grasp the Cannoli, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Let strips cool and repeat process with remaining dough strips. You can shake excess flour from scraps, press back together, cover in bowl and let relax at least 10 minutes then reuse.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

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To make the Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate or spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a blender, using the chop setting grind Fried Cannoli Dough Strips OR 2 boxes Vanilla Pizelle into fine crumbs.

In a medium mixing bowl mix together Fried Cannoli Dough Strips OR Vanilla Pizelle crumbs, 1 Tablespoon granulated Sugar, 1/8 teaspoon Salt and 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon and up to 1 cup Pistachios, according to preference. Then mix in 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter Melted.

Press crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of pie plate. Use the back of a fork or measuring cup to firmly press the bottom and sides of the pie plates to form an even layer of the crust.

Bake the crust at 350 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

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To make the Ricotta Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together 1 1/2 cups drained Ricotta Cheese, 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese, 1 cup Powdered Sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until well combined. Beat in 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 teaspoon fresh Orange Zest, 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon Salt. Then stir in 1 cup grated Baking Chocolate.

Spoon filling into cooled pie crust. Spread the filling in pie crust.

Refrigerate pie for at least 3-4 hours or overnight before serving.

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To add the Toppings:

Sprinkle liberally with the remaining Crushed Pistachio.

Drizzle Pomegranate Molasses lightly over the pie with additional pools on the plate for dipping if desired.

Use any left over Cannoli strips to dip in any leftover Ricotta Filling!