Ricotta Cheesecake - AKA: Ricotta PieAbout twenty years ago, I began my quest to reproduce my Grandmother's Ricotta Cheesecake. My Grandmother never wrote her recipes down. Everything was in her head. She didn't even use measuring cups - She used her palm to measure the ingredients. I tried my best to learn from her, but there were some things I just didn't retain. Therefore, my quest. No one I knew, knew how to make this Italian Cheesecake. I would look in recipe books (this is before the internet) but the recipes were too far off the mark. After I gave up, and I accepted I would never have this delicious pie again, I was at a friends party. An older Italian man was at the party. Out of habit, I asked him if he new how to make Ricotta Pie. He did! He was such a nice person, he went back to his house (he lived in the neighborhood) and gave me the Italian Cheesecake recipe. Just looking at the recipe, I new my quest was over. After a few modifications, I was able to make my grandmothers pie. I can't begin to express how thankful I am that this kind gentleman shared his recipe with me. Ricotta Cheese Pie is very light. It is not sweet and sugary. It just has a nice taste. It may be too bland for some people. I like it with a cup of coffee.
Ingredients1 pound Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese - please note, I can never find it sold in 1 pound containers. It is always a 2 pound container. So I end up doubling the recipe and making 2 pies. This is okay, as the pie freezes really well.3 Eggs 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Click here to make your own Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Orange Juice Graham Cracker Pie Crust Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
MethodMix well all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Pour the mix onto the pie crust. 
Bake at 325 degrees. This could take approximately 1 hour. More if you are baking two pies at the same time. To see if the pie is done, take a clean knife and gently pierce the pie in the center. Remove knife. If it is clean, the pie is done. If wet batter remains on the knife, let it cook for a few minutes, then try again. 
Cut out a piece of the Ricotta Cheesecake and serve! Enjoy! 
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