Recipe: Chocolate Ricotta Pie with Pecan Crust

What could be more Thanksgiving than pie? Pie with a handmade crust, no less!

I saw Giada make this last weekend and needed to try it. It looked creamy, chocolately, and holiday-like. Plus, the ricotta intrigued me greatly.

The full ingredient list is up there in the link to Giada’s recipe. Follow it and you will have a perfect pie like I did. The only thing I swapped were the pine nuts for pecans. Definitely an upgrade!

Making the crust was easier than I thought. I pulsed all the ingredients in my foodpro, added melted butter, pulsed again, turned out into a springform pan, and pressed into a crust shape.

Homemade crust shoutout: This process is super quick, you likely have all the ingredients in your pantry already, and homemade is vastly more delicious than a store bought pie shell.

In lieu of pie weights (which I think are a gross unitasker), I used lentils.

You want to bake the weighted crust at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so, then remove and fill with the chocolate/cheese mixture, and then bake again for another 30 minutes.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…on to the filling!

While pie crust phase I was baking, I made the simple syrup and melted chocolate components of the filling so they would have time to cool.

For the simple syrup: Boil 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

For the chocolate: Melt 8 oz. of chocolate over a double boiler. Let it completely cool before using it.

Once your syrup and chocolate have cooled, and your pie crust phase I is complete, you can finish making the pie filling.

Combine ricotta, cream cheese, and eggs/egg yolks in your food pro. Scrape down the sides and make sure everything is mixed thoroughly. Next add your melted chocolate, again, scrape down the bowl and make sure it’s uniform. Finally add as much simple syrup as you like to bring the filling to your desired consistency. I used all of mine and it still was pretty thick. Silky and smooth, yet thick and decadent.

Spoon the filling in to the pie crust and make sure it’s evenly distributed in the pie shell.

Bake on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. When it’s done top with a handful of pecans in the center for garnish (and crunch and flavor, of course).

This pie is light yet rich, creamy and smooth, chocolately and cheese-cake-like. The crust is the perfect compliment too, nutty and hearty, yet not at all crumbly. You must make this. I was so, so happy with how it came out. It’s time and labor intensive but not at all difficult.