Melopita

Eek! It's been a week since my last post but it feels like much longer. I recently got a new job as a private chef and it's been taking up a lot of my time; unfortunately, it's too busy to document the dishes I prepare for my client for this blog although, they would make great entries. So, because of my limited time, I've prepared a very easy dessert called Melopita, aka Greek honey pie. 

Melopita (Greek Honey Pie)

Recipe adapted from cookmegreek

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6 servings, one 20cm baking pan

Ingredients

600 gm (2.4 cups) myrithra cheese (or ricotta)

150 gm (0.4 cups) honey

3 eggs

1 tbsp corn flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

lemon zest of 1/2 lemon

extra honey and cinnamon for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your baking pan with butter or oil.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan. Bake the pie for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 273 calories, 13g fat (7.4g saturated, .7g polyunsaturated, 3.9g monounsaturated), 25.8g carbohydrates, .1g fiber, 14.6g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

This pie is incredibly easy to prepare since all you do is mix everything together. Although I've added the cup measurements for the ricotta and honey, the scale is the most accurate way to go.

The first time I made this pie, I was only able to find my bundt pan so I decided to bake it in that. Big mistake! Although the shape would have been nice, the pie stuck to the mold and looked like a big pile of blob.

As you can see the batter is thick but still on the runny side. 

Another variation I tried was to use 1/2 tsp of almond extract instead of the vanilla, hence the shaved almonds for garnish. They both tasted wonderful, the almond one full of almond flavor (can also do 1/4 tsp of the almond extract for a more subtle flavor). The Melopita is creamy but still light and very addicting. I found myself going back for more and more.