Ingredients

• 1 pound 1 1/2 ounces/500 g all-purpose flour
• 7 ounces/200 g sugar
• 7 ounces/200 g unsalted butter
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 3 egg whites
• 8 3/4 ounces/250 g sugar
• Scant 2 pounds/900 g fresh ricotta cheese

Instructions

1. For the pastry: Sift together the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Combine the butter, egg yolks, whole egg and lemon zest in a separate bowl. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then knead into a dough. Let rest 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the filling: Whip the egg whites with 1/2 of the sugar to stiff peaks in a mixing bowl. Whip the remaining sugar, ricotta and lemon zest together in a separate bowl, and then gently fold into the egg whites.
3. Roll out the pastry and fit into a pie plate. Spread the ricotta filling into the crust, sealing with more pastry as you would a pie. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.