This is my first pie!! I know it looks awful, it does not really look like a pie, but I made it, totally from scratch, by myself. making the filling(which I realized was the filling after I was already into making the crust) and that went fine. then I started making the crust and this is where the...challenge started. making a pie crust may sound easy and simple: make the dough, roll it out, and then put it in the pie dish. easy huh? well...for a first time novice such as myself, not so much. I made the dough, used my new electric mixer(I used it for the filling too and it was awesome!!!it made things so much faster! it was amazing!)and..not good. it was crumbly, and it just kept falling apart. I was supposed to divide the dough into 4 balls, and it was so tough and I tried chilling the 4 balls and when I tried rolling them out...not good. I was sooo frustrated! I was ready to go out to wal mart again and buy the store bought crust. but I REALLY wanted to do this pie from scratch and so, I kept trying. after making a through mess, I threw it(the dough)in the trash and started making the crust from scratch. which I did, being extra careful with the amount of the ingredients and I thought maybe using the mixer was a mistake the first time, since I figured out the dough needed to come together. I guess when it comes to dough, it is better to do it by hand, which is a good cooking lesson for me to learn. it went SO much better the second time around. I did only make one pie, the recipe I was using made two pies, but since I adjusted the serving size, I guess that is to be expected.the crust was not...nice looking at all! it was uneven and shorter in some places than in others, as can be seen in the photo if you look closely. but I did it, not pretty but I did it, and I then put the filling in, didnt even use half of it. again, probably because I did make one pie when the recipe makes two, but I thought it best to not...push my dough. so I then put foil around the crust, or tried since I didnt really know how to do that, and put it in the oven for 20 minutes, then took out the foil and kept it baking for another 25 minutes. and as you can see, it...looks nothing like a pie. Tate said it looked like Banana Pudding with pork rinds on top(i texted him and Brent a picture and Brent did not even respond. problaly died laughing lol). it's not pretty, it doesn't look the way a pie is supposed to look, it actually looks nothing like a pie, and it problaly wont taste good because I put in 1/2 pound more of ricotta cheese than the recipe called for, but my goal is for this to be etable. now, I just need to find some guys that are brave enough to eat it.
I am so glad that I kept at it, and did not just give up and bought a store bought crust. It may not be anywhere near perfect, but I am so proud of my pie, and I now have a good idea of the steps neccesary to make a pie: the steps and the assembly. I guess one thing that cooking is teaching me is that it doesn't have to be perfect, or even good the first time you try something. you just have to give it a try and keep at it. the second time, it'll be easier because you will have a better idea of what you are doing and the more times you try, the better it'll get. and someday, I will make a pie that looks like a pie. but for now, I LOOVE this pie because it is my first ever pie and it is totally from scrartch, and I am proud of myself. I can't wait to try again soon! Brent runs marathons a lot, and while I don't, I have learned from him that when training for a marathon, you don't just go out and run 26 miles the first day, but you slow and build towards 26 miles. cooking, and life, is like that. you start slow, you build towards your goal. and while the first time you bake a pie it might look more like banana pudding with pork rinds on top than a pie, you will be so proud of it of of yourself for stricking it out and not giving up and be ready and excited to improve it(btw, this photo is now my wallpaper on my phone!). maybe I don't have to bake the perfect pie the first time around.
This is the Recipe I used:
Ricotta Pie Recipe
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