Easy As A Pie!

Since I didn't cook a big Thanksgiving dinner this year, I tried to make it up by baking couple pies few nights ago. Everybody knows that the deserts are the best thing about Thanksgiving anyway (*sorry Mr. Turkey*). Since the holiday season is full parties and potlucks, I figured that I'll share these pie recipes with you guys. Both of them are really quick to make and they store well in the fridge.

I found this super easy Pumpkin pie recipe online. I was so happy about it because it only calls for few ingredients and I was able to find all of them from local stores. I didn't have to special order anything.

The Lime-Ricotta cheese cake recipe is from a magazine called MeNaiset. It is also very easy to make and you only need couple simple ingredients.

To save time and effort I recommend the use frozen pie crusts. They are almost as good as home made ones.

Anyway... To people who have never eaten pumpkin pie I just want to say that it is really velvety and it tastes like Christmas. I definitely urge all the Finns to try out pumpkin pie. Just serve it with whipped cream and all your friends and relatives will love you!

Easy Pumpkin Pie

- 1 can of pumpkin (16 oz / 450g)

- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz / 396g)

- 2 eggs

- 2 tsp pumpkin spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, Finnish "piparkakkumauste" works as well)

- 1 unbaked pie crust (suolainen piirakkataikina in Finnish)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Combine eggs, pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl and mix until combined.

Roll out the pie crust and put it in a 9 inch (23cm) pie pan. Pour pumpkin mixture into the crust.

Place pie in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until filling is set, 35 to 40 minutes. You might have to cover the edged of the pie with aluminium foil in the middle of baking it, this will prevent the edges from getting too dark. The pie is done when a knife inserted to the pie comes out clean.

Rolling out the dough and getting the filling ready by mixing pumpkin puree, condensed milk, spices and eggs.

 

 

Ready to be baked!

This is how the pie should look after 45 minutes in the oven.

I was cooling the pumpkin pie on the window sill. Look how dark it is at 4pm in Finland at the moment!

Creamy and yummy pumpkin pie! The only thing missing is whipped cream.

While the pumpkin pie is in the oven, you have plenty of time to prepare this Lime-Ricotta cheese cake (*it's actually a pie but it tastes like cheese cake*). I hadn't tried out this pie before but even after the first time, I must say it is delicious. It is creamy yet very refreshing! This makes a great desert for dinners that call for lighter ending. You can easily eat a slice of this even though your stomach is already full of the main course.

Easy Lime-Ricotta Cheese Cake
- 2 eggs
- 1 yolk
- 250 g / 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 dl / ½ cup sugar
- 4 limes (squeezed)
- 2dl whipping cream
- 1 short crust pastry pie shell (murotaikina piiraspohja in Finnish)

Preheat oven to 347 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Combine eggs, yolk, ricotta, sugar and lime juice in a large bowl and mix until combined.

Whip the cream. Fold the whipped cream into the ricotta-egg mixture.

Roll out the pie crust and put it in a 10 inch (25cm) pie pan. Pour ricotta-egg-whipped cream mixture into the crust.

Bake about 30-40 minutes. The mixture seems very wobbly when you take the pie out of the oven but it will settle as the pie cools.

Here are the stars of this pie: ricotta and lime juice.

I also graded some lime zest in the filling for extra flavor.

 

Ready to be baked.

This is how the pie should look like after 40 minutes in the oven.

I could just eat pie all the time. I wouldn't need dinner at all...

Happy Baking Everyone!!