-CRUST-
1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tb Honey
35 Vanilla wafer cookies
3/4 c Whole almonds
3/4 c Walnuts
1/4 ts Salt
FILLING
2 pk (8-oz) cream cheese, room
-temperature
1 15- to 16-oz container whole
-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 c Plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 c Plus 1 tablespoon honey
4 Extra-large eggs
2 ts Vanilla extract
1/2 ts Lemon extract
COMPOTE
3 12-ounce baskets small
-strawberries, hulled,
-quartered
1/3 c Honey
GARNISH
Additional honey
Strawberry blossoms or other
-small nonpoisonous flowers
-(optional)
For Crust: Preheat oven to 350?F. Wrap outside of 10-inch-diameter
springform pan with 2 1/2-inch-high sides with foil. Bring butter and honey
to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Finely grind vanilla wafers in processor. Add nuts and salt to processor.
Add butter mixture and process until nuts are finely chopped. Press mixture
onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust until golden,
about 12 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Reduce over temperature to
325?F.
For Filling: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and ricotta cheese in
large bowl until smooth. Mix in sugar and honey. Add eggs 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and lemon extracts. Pour
filling into crust.
Bake pie until puffed, golden and center moves only slightly when pan is
gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool
completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
For Compote: Mix quartered strawberries and 1/3 cup honey in large bowl.
(Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
Run small sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen pie. Release pan sides.
Drizzle additional honey over pie in zigzag pattern. Transfer pie to
serving platter. Using slotted spoon, transfer some of strawberry compote
to top of pie, if desired. Garnish pie with strawberry blossoms, if
desired. Cut pie into wedges and serve with remaining strawberry compote.
Bon App?tit April 1996
Yields
12 Servings