ITALIAN HOLIDAY PIE

Italian Holiday Pie image

This is an Italian take on cheesecake, only so much richer. It was always served by my grandma at Christmas, and it's the perfect dessert to end a holiday meal!

Provided by KMOMMYZ

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 1h15m

Yield 16

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

8 eggs
¾ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 (16 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
1 cup finely chopped red and green candied cherries
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
2 whole candied cherries
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Beat the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla together in a mixing bowl until light colored and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Pour in the milk and cream; continue beating to make a smooth mixture. Stir in the ricotta cheese and cherries until evenly blended. Pour into the pie shells.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), and bake until set, about 50 minutes more. Cool on racks. When pies are completely cool, dust with confectioners' sugar, and decorate by placing 1 whole cherry in the center of each pie.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 353.9 calories, Carbohydrate 31.5 g, Cholesterol 132.2 mg, Fat 20.2 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 11.8 g, SaturatedFat 9 g, Sodium 241.8 mg, Sugar 16.6 g