Ingredients
- 1 blind-baked 9-inch pastry shell
- 500 g ricotta
- 3 eggs
- 140 ml Quebec maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 30 g flour
- pinch salt
- 50 g toasted pine nuts
Method
- Preheat oven to 165°C.
- Whisk ricotta, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, zest, flour and salt until smooth.
- Pour into shell, scatter pine nuts on top.
- Bake 40–45 min until just set and lightly golden.
- Cool then chill 2 hours before serving.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 150 g white sugar
Conversion used: Swap 150 g sugar for 140 ml maple syrup; add 30 g flour to stabilize the custard against extra moisture; oven reduced from 180°C to 165°C to prevent cracking.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple gives ricotta a gentle caramel backbone that plain sugar cannot, while replacing refined sugar with a mineral-bearing Quebec product.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →