Chocolate-Almond Ricotta Pie

Nutrition
Calories: 659.97 kcalCarbohydrates: 114.7 gProtein: 11.41 gFat: 18.41 gSaturated Fat: 4.89 gCholesterol: 4.43 mgSodium: 841.85 mgFiber: 4.52 gVitamin A: 2.749 IUCalcium: 66.54 mgIron: 5.64 mg
Ingredients
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs about 12 squares
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter or margarine melted and cooled
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 envelope 1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup skim or 1-percent milk divided
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate bits
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds
- 1 15- ounce container part-skim ricotta
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- TO PREPARE THE CRUST
- Combine the crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Combine the butter or margarine and the egg, and add this to the crumb mixture, mixing the ingredients well.
- Press the mixture onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust in a preheated 350° oven for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool.
- TO PREPARE THE FILLING
- In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of the milk, and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Heat the rest of the milk (but do not boil it), and add it to the gelatin mixture, stirring the liquid until the gelatin dissolves. Cool the mixture, and chill it until the mixture thickens to the consistency of yogurt.
- In a blender or food processor, whirl the 1/2 cup chocolate bits and 1/2 cup almonds for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ricotta and almond extract, and process the mixture again. (You will probably have to scrape down the sides of the container and redistribute the contents to get the ingredients evenly mixed. Just be sure to turn off the machine when you do this.) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- Beat the milk-gelatin mixture with an electric beater until it is light and fluffy. Fold this into the ricotta mixture, combining the ingredients well.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust, and chill the pie for 2 hours or more.
- Garnish the pie with chocolate bits and almonds, if desired.