Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Lemon and Cream Cheese Pie




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wanted to share this lovely cheese pie with those of you who have not yet settled on a holiday dessert. It is smooth and creamy and tart enough to please the most demanding lemon lover who might sit at your table. It has the added advantage of being really fast and really easy to prepare. The recipe was developed by Maida Heatter, so you know it will be good enough for your most discriminating taster. I have included her recipe for a crumb crust as well, and while I encourage you to use it, if you are short of time a prepared crust can be substituted. If you have all the filling ingredients at room temperature the pie can be oven ready in 10 minutes. It has a soft, creamy filling that needs to be thoroughly chilled before serving. I suggest you make the pie the day before you plan to serve it. This pie also freezes well, so it can be made days before you actually need it. If you have not yet tasted this tart and creamy treat, I hope you will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Graham Cracker Crust...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of allspice
3 ounces ( 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
Mix together ingredients until moistened. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes to set the crust.


Lemon and Cream Cheese Pie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Maida Heatter

Ingredients:
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Graham cracker crust (recipe above)
Fresh berries for garnish

Directions:
1) Adjust a rack to middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Mix zest and juice and set aside. In a processor fitted with the metal chopping blade, blend ricotta cheese until it is perfectly smooth, about 1 minute.
3) In bowl of an electric mixer beat cream cheese until it is perfectly smooth. Add ricotta cheese and beat to mix. Then add sugar, vanilla and eggs one at a time, scraping bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until smooth after each addition.
4) When filling is perfectly smooth, stir in the lemon rind and juice, and pour into prepared graham cracker crust.
5) Bake 30 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven. Allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours. Garnish with fresh berries for serving. Yield: 1 9-inch pie.







One Year Ago Today: Peanut Butter Snack Cake with Banana Buttercream Frosting














Two Years Ago Today: Apricot Souffle




56 comments :

Lenia said...

I would certainly like to try this refreshing and aromatic pie!Have a lovely day,dear!

My Unfinished Life said...

yummmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in

Baking Diary said...

That is a very lovely cheese pie, so simple yet I know it can satisfy one's craving for cheesecakes! I would love to have a piece!

BeetleBuggy said...

Yummy! I love lemon and cheese pies!

Katarina said...

Yummy! This is a lovely and beautiful cheesecake!

RATOLINHA said...

Que maravilhosa sobremesa, deliciosa! Como tudo o que está neste blog.
beijinhos

Lynn said...

This is the second cheesecake-like dessert that caught my eye for Easter! Love the addition of ricotta:@)

Alessandra said...

We are synchronized! I have just posted white and red :-).

Ciao
Alessandra

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

I have to tell you those dishes stopped me dead in my tracks I love that collection! Lemon and Cream cheese a match made on heaven with a perfect plating!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

I love this pie and the plates thats my favortie collection of all time!

Rambling Tart said...

Mmm, so creamy and delicious. Love all the spices in the crust too. :-)

Unknown said...

Mary, I love how simple but elegant this yummy pie looks!

Red Nomad OZ said...

Lemon? Cream Cheese?? Ricotta??? I am SO there!!!

Louisa said...

MM,, lemon and cream cheese, sounds like my kind of delicious thing!!

Becki's Whole Life said...

This sounds perfect for Easter, Mary. I love what you added to the graham cracker crust - esp. the ginger. That would taste wonderful with the lemon flavor in the filling.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

You know how I can't resist anything with lemon.

Carol said...

Thank you for your visit to my blog, yoy web is very nice! I like cheese pie, and this is wonderful!

Greetings!

Carol

safire said...

I swear you read my mind. I was going to make lemon cheesecakes this weekend! This looks delicious!

Tanna said...

This combines some of my most favorite flavors. Sounds perfect for spring and our hot summers! Thank you, Mary. blessings ~ Tanna

Unknown said...

That looks so smooth and creamy! I could dive into a slice of it right now! My mom makes a pie very similar to this.. it is one of my favorites!

Ailyn Sánchez said...

Delicious recipe, the ginger in the crust, the lemon and the ricotta,...thank you!

turmericnspice said...

Love the combo - nice and summery . Great for Easter, love the plate :)

Martha said...

It looks and sounds so good, Mary! Presentation is beautiful!

Valerie Gamine said...

I Love lemony desserts, especially when cheese is involved, this looks gorgeous!

Judy@SavoringToday said...

I would be one of those demanding lemon lovers you mentioned ... my vote is a resounding YES for this at Easter! Oh man it looks so creamy and refreshing.

Jane said...

What a gorgeous picture! That looks so delicious!

Tugs Girl said...

What a great idea for using all of my excess homemade graham crackers! Even better that it's lemon - I do love citrus. (And I'm also quite fond of the plate your slice of pie is on. I have some pieces in that same pattern!)

Suzie said...

Looks great and I bet it would be a hit for Easter.

wendy (pinkstripes) said...

Lemon cheesecake sounds delightful!

Steph said...

My family has been making this for years -- we use a cornflake crust and it adds so much more to this!

From the Kitchen said...

I think this would be perfect for company and for the two of us--in which case, I would cut it into pieces and freeze each individually so as to enjoy it for a long time.

Best,
Bonnie

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I am always amazed at the beauty and diversity of the food that you cook and eat. Life sounds excellent out West! And I will never turn down the option of a pie that freezes well!

Melinda said...

Looks delish! Yum.

Melinda

SImple and Serene Living said...

Lemon and cream cheese. Yum!! I just added this to my new recipe board on Pinterest.

Juliana said...

Beautiful cheesecake Mary, like how you have all the spices in the crust. Love everything that has lemon...
Thanks for this recipe and hope you are having a great week :)

France@beyondthepeel said...

It looks incredibly light! Lemon cheesecake here I come!

A Paixão da Isa said...

humm adoro tudo que leva limao e esse bolo esta mesmo a meu gosto adorei bjs

Brittany said...

Lemon and cream cheese are the perfect combination. YUM!

Chiara said...

Yummy!!! I love cheesecake like this!
have a good day, blessings...

Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch said...

This looks perfect for Easter or Summer! I'm sure this wouldn't last long at the Easter table! Have a great week!

Clint said...

Oh, Mary....this HAS to be totally sensational. My problem, of course, is trying to take small enough bites spaced appropriately apart so that the dish lasts more than 60 seconds. Excellent dish, my friend!

Gloria Baker said...

aaah! love lemon Pie and this is to Die for Mary! xxx

tender b. said...

Lovely,lovely pie.

Barbara said...

I love desserts like this, Mary! (why does lemon seem to go with Easter? Yellow=spring?)
Of course, I've already copied this, passed it on to my lemon-obsessed sister, and stuck it in MY file too.
I hope you have a lovely Easter week!

(what on earth are we going to do for Foodspotting? Which, when I fed my city into, came up with two ridiculous dishes.)

Anonymous said...

This recipe really seems simple and easy. And I love a simple but delicious dessert :). Love this

Debbie said...

I love cheesecakes that use ricotta cheese...they are so good. This looks delicious Mary and I am going to add this to my growing list of recipes I'd like to try! This is also a great Easter dessert.

Shug said...

What can I say....another GREAT one!
I love all these wonderful desserts that you keep posting.
I would certainly love to have a slice of that pie...
blessings.

Joanne said...

I've definitely been dabbling with the idea of making a cheesecake for easter dessert and this sounds so delicious! Perfect for the occasion.

nanny said...

Oh my...this will be on my table very soon...lemon is my favorite!

David said...

Mary, This is just a great dessert! Lemon...cream cheese...ricotta cheese...great texture and taste! Thanks for the recipe! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Anonymous said...

How lovely and very refreshing with the lemon!!

Rosita Vargas said...

me encantan las tartas de limón luce estupenda es irresistible,abrazos hugs,hugs.

The Harried Cook said...

This would be a perfect dessert for the weather we've been having... Thanks for sharing this, Mary! I feel a craving coming on...

Salsa Verde said...

This pie has everything I love most so, 10 out of 10!!
Cheers,
Lia.

Jennifer Kendall said...

what a lovely dessert! it just screams sppring!

Martha said...

I'm still trying to decide on my Easter dessert and this is now a contender. I've bookmarked and if I don't make it this weekend, I will very soon. Thanks so much.

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