What Threat? I Made You a Ricotta Pie!

I finally watched all 33 discs of The Sopranos! My brother bought me the boxed set for my birthday ($400 value, with coupon at Costco $139.99) and I've been watching episodes on and off for the past 2 months. To celebrate this achievement (LOL!), I decided to make one of the dishes featured in The Sopranos Family Cookbook - Ricotta Pie with Pineapple!

Apparently ricotta pie is a traditional family dessert for Italians, especially around Easter. The Sopranos episode that features this pie shows Carmela Soprano trying to bribe her neighbor's sister (some school official) to get a college recommendation letter for her daughter Meadow. The bribe? A delicious pie, of course!

Unfortunately the original recipe is VERY rich and calorie laden. I attempted to make the recipe a bit healthier - definitely lower in fat AND low in sugar! My substitutions are in parentheses: I used a pre-made pie crust instead...LOL...next time I'm not lazy I'll try the crust recipe.

Filling: 2 pounds ricotta cheese, drained (I used 1 1/4 tub of 16 oz. low fat ricotta)

2 cups heavy cream (I didn't have heavy cream, so I used 1 c. soymilk and melted 4 tbsp. Smart Balance spread, mixed together)

2 cups sugar (used about 1 1/2 cups of Splenda Sugar Blend)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 large eggs (used 1 1/2 cups egg substitute; I used the 99% Real Egg Whites from Costco)

1 (20-ounce) can of crushed pineapple, drained (I also rinsed the pineapple)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (dusted on top of pie, and slightly swirled)

Make sure ricotta and pineapple are as drained as can be! This will prevent the pie from getting soggy. Add the ricotta to a large mixing bowl, and beat it smooth with a rubber spatula. Beat in the heavy cream, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla (or, beat in the substitutes I made :). Beat in the eggs (or egg substitute), making sure the texture is smooth. Finally, stir in the pineapple. When you are ready to bake, set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Pull the oven rack 1/2 way out, then put the pie crusts (the filling is enough for 2 pies, just halve the recipe if you only want one pie - but trust me, you'll kick yourself later for only making one) on the oven rack. Carefully pour the pie filling mixture to the brim of the pie crust, being careful not to spill it. Sprinkle and swirl cinnamon onto the top of the pies. Push oven rack and pies back into the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Then turn down the temp to 350F and bake for another 25-35 mins. Pie is done when filling is "set" - meaning, the filling doesn't jiggle when you move the pie. Filling should be golden and slightly puffed.

Freshly baked ricotta pineapple pies!

Almost all gone!

This is an excellent dessert. I was quite proud of myself for making substitutions and still keeping it yummy! Since the egg substitute I used is 99% egg whites and I used the low fat ricotta, this turned out pretty well. I didn't use heavy cream either but made my own concoction using the Smart Balance spread and soymilk. I think I'll eat the last slice. MMMMMMM!!!!