a recipe from Pennsylvania Dutch traditional recipes for Pies and Pastries (1963)

One of the great debates of Pi(e) Day in our house is this – is a cheesecake a pie? The experts on such things say that it’s a filling contained in a crust, therefore it’s a pie. Others argue that that it’s baked in a cake pan, therefore it’s a cake. We skirted the issue with this cottage cheese pie – a delightful take made even more delightful because it comes from Pennsylvania Dutch country, where I grew up.

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Ingredients:

pie crust
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 T flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. lemon rind, grated

Directions:

Combine cottage cheese, sugar, flour, salt, lemon rind and spices. Add beaten egg yolks and mix thoroughly. Add milk gradually and stir smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites and pour into 9-inch, pastry lined pan. Bake in moderate (350*F) oven, 1 hour.