Description
It's time for a day of love and if you've got a sweet tooth, you will adore my strawberry love pie with sweet whipped ricotta.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Ingredients for LARGER 10-INCH PIE
For the filling
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, plus 6-8 extra berries for the top (see note#1)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crust
- 14 graham cracker sheets, ground (about 2 cups)
- 1 stick of salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
For the whipped ricotta
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional toppings:
- Candy hearts decoration for the top of the pie, optional
- If no candy hearts, cut more strawberries and add to top
- Red and pink sugar sprinkles
Ingredients for SMALLER 6-INCH PIE
For the filling
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, plus 4 extra for top (see note #1)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crust
- 8 graham cracker sheets, ground
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
For the whipped ricotta
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional toppings:
- Candy hearts decoration for the top of the pie, optional
- If no candy hearts, cut more strawberries and add to top
- Red and pink sugar sprinkles
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
* HEART SHAPED PAN NEEDED OR REGULAR 10-INCH or 6-INCH ROUND PIE PLATES CAN WORK TOO.
* ELECTRIC HAND MIXER
Instructions
- Cut the green leafy part off the top of the strawberries, then cut the strawberries into quarters (4 small pieces each).
- Transfer cut strawberries to a pot and add the sugar and vanilla extract. Stir to coat the strawberries in the sugar. Heat on low-to-medium heat – WITH THE LID ON – for 10-15 minutes stirring a few times in the process. The strawberries will be soft and cooked through with a lot of delicious juices.
- While the strawberries are cooking, cut 6-8 additional strawberries to place on top of the cooked strawberries when we assemble the pie later. These you can just cut in half – not quarters.
- Grind all the graham crackers in a food processor. If you don’t have one, put them in a bag and crush them with a pan or kitchen mallet.
- Add ground up graham crackers to a large bowl and add the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Use spatula in beginning, then work the mixture with your hands. It should feel a little crumbly in the end – see video.
- Transfer graham cracker mixture to a 10-inch heart shaped pan or regular pie plate and spread out evenly. You can press gently with a measuring cup around the center to flatten. Use your fingers to press a little more around the edges so the crust doesn’t fall apart when you cut it later.
- Bake the crust in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until it’s slightly golden brown.
- Check your cooked strawberries at the 15 minute mark and make sure they are cooked through and tender. Remove from heat and let cool completely – should take about an hour for this.
- When the crust is cooked, set that aside to cool as well.
- Time to make the whipped ricotta. Add ricotta to a large mixing bowl, then add the vanilla and granulated sugar. Mix on medium, then high speed with your hand mixer. Be sure to scrape down the sides a couple of times in the process. In about a minute or two the ricotta will have a light and fluffy consistency. This is what we are looking for.
- The whipped ricotta should be added to the pie right before serving. After you make it, transfer the ricotta to a container and store in the refrigerator.
- Once your strawberries and crust are cooled down, add the cooked strawberries to the top of the pie. Two options here:
- Add the strawberries to the crust while leaving a small border of the crust exposed – that’s what I did because I like that look. However, it is inevitable that strawberry juice will spill over and disturb the presentation. I don’t mind this at all. J Then add your additional uncooked strawberries to the top. Wrap in plastic and put in refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight. This is a chilled dessert. The crust border option isn’t possible with the 6-inch pie size – it’s too small for that.
- Spread the strawberries across the entire pie covering all but a tiny sliver of the crust. Add the additional uncooked strawberries on top of that. Wrap in plastic and put in refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight.
- When you are ready to serve the pie, it’s time to add the whipped ricotta and candy hearts. Spread the whipped ricotta over the top of the strawberries.
- Once the ricotta is spread out you can decorate the top with tiny candy hearts like I did in the video, or red and pink sugar sprinkles or additional chopped strawberries. It’s your choice.
- Use a spoon to scoop out your portions – it’s a bit messy, but delicious!!!
Notes
- For the larger 10-inch pie you will need the full two pounds of strawberries for the topping. In addition to the 2 pounds, you’ll need 6-8 additional strawberries to put on top of the cooked strawberries. I bought two one-pound containers, plus they had smaller containers as well so I bought a smaller container too. For the smaller 6-inch pie, you can pull four strawberries from the one pound container and you’ll have enough for everything.