Pizza Dolce di Ricotta

Crust:

1. Have on hand a 9-inch glass pie pan.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix until it resembles coarse ground cornmeal. Add the egg and mix until the dough almost forms a ball.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Press the dough gently several times until it is smooth. Shape it into a disk and wrap it in foil. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

5. Remove dough from fridge and roll it out on a floured board into a 1/8-inch thick round. Lift it onto a rolling pin and ease it into the pie pan. Fold under the edges and flute the rim. Refrigerate the pie crust, while mixing up the filling.

Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, stir the ricotta until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice.

3. Add the sugar and mix well.

4. Add the lemon rind, cinnamon, amaretto, and 1 egg. Mix well.

5. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining eggs, one by one, beating only until each one is mixed in.

6. Add the chocolate if desired and mix.

7. Pour the filling into the pie pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until the filling is set and the crust is baked through. Cool on a rack and then refrigerate until ready to serve.