Coffee and Pie Chat: Melopita {Greek Honey and Cheese Pie}

Hey, y’all! How are things? Things have kinda sorta slowed down over here. We celebrated commencement a few weeks ago, you can see the pictures here. It’s always a good time when we get to celebrate the students and their accomplishments. Now we’re working our summer schedule: Monday – Thursday, 7 am – 5:30 pm, and closed Friday – Sunday. The first few weeks are always the hardest, but I do enjoy having those three-day weekends. In fact, it was having a three-day weekend that allowed me to bake my pie without rushing. So yay!

ABOUT MELOPITA {Greek Honey & Cheese Pie}

Melopita is a traditional honey pie from the Greek island of Sifnos. It’s made with honey and Ricotta cheese — two of my favorite things. I fell in love with Greek desserts when I lived in Italy. Yes, Italy. My sisters and I attended a Department of Defense school at Aviano Air Base, which means we attended school with people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. One of my favorite things was when parents would bring treats to the school. One of my favorite treats was Baklava. When I looked at the recipe and directions, I got Baklava vibes. So my pie choice was purely nostalgic.

THE RECIPE

Pie Crust

Make your own or use 9 in pie crust

Filling

3/4 lb ricotta cheese

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cups wildflower honey (or another flavorful honey)

3 tbs all-purpose flour

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cinnamon (plus extra for decoration, if desired)

1/4 tsp salt

Egg wash or milk for glaze

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Lower the oven to 350°.

2. Make the filling: in a large bowl, whisk together the cheese and eggs until fully blended. Whisk in the honey, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt until fully incorporated.

3. Put the pie crust on a baking sheet. Brush the edges with egg wash or milk. Pour in the filling, and bake the pie for 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling has just set and is slightly wobbly in the center.

4. Remove the pie to cool completely on a wire rack, at least 1 hour. If desired, dust the surface of the pie with cinnamon.

This pie can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, covered in plastic wrap.

This recipe is from Kristin’s favorite seasonal pie making book: First Prize Pies by Allison Kave.

MY THOUGHTS

If you like cheesecake, you’ll like this pie. It has a nice citrusy taste that’s softened with the honey. Next time I make it, I’ll make a few changes like topping the pie with chopped pistachios and eliminating the crust. The pie needed a little crunch.

THE CHAT

May was a good month. I was able to check a few more things off my Vision Board Bingo Card…

My daughter, Jazmine, and I went to lunch together at one of my favorite places in downtown Alexandria, Cafe Desoto. Cafe Desoto sells Mexican street food with a twist, and its within walking distance of my job. I ordered Desoto Street Tacos with shrimp and my daughter ordered Quesadilla with shrimp. The food was, as usual, delicious, and the conversation was delightful. Honestly, there are few things better than hanging out with your adult child. There aren’t any pictures because my daughter is anti-social media. The hubs and I also visited our daughter, Reka. Her daughter, our granddaughter, was attending prom and they asked if I’d take her pictures. Y’all, I had so much fun bringing my granddaughter’s vision to life. Here’s one of my favorite pictures:

You can see the other pictures by visiting my Instagram account.

ABOUT COFFEE AND PIE CHAT

Coffee and Pie Chat was born out of my desire for pie. Years ago, Kristin used to post the most delicious looking pies on Instagram, and I’d sit there staring at my phone, wishing she lived closer so I could grab a slice. And, while I’m not a baker, her pie pics really made me want to learn. One day I reached out to her and asked if she’d be interested in baking pies with me and sharing them on our blogs. She thought it was a fun idea and immediately started sharing easy seasonal pie options with me. We baked our first pie together in 2019, a Maple Orange Walnut Pie. For some reason, I don’t remember this pie. I don’t even have pictures of it on the blog. I’m so disappointed in past me. Our second pie was a Lemon-Lime Chess Pie, which I very distinctly remember and thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, I liked that pie so much that I made it for several work events. Our next pie was a Lemon Meringue Pie, which I failed at miserably. The lemon curd separated and became liquidy in some spots and gelatinous in others. It was really bad. But it did start off pretty. I made up for it with our next pie, the Butterscotch Pie with a Curry Crust. It sounds weird, but it was the most delicious combination of flavors. The sweetness of the butterscotch was enhanced by the smokiness of the curry. I also made this pie for a work event and everyone loved it. Our last pie was a Blueberry Nectarine Pie, a family favorite. We were all surprised by how much we enjoyed this pie.

Kristin blogs at Chicken Librarian, “where timeless Southern Appalachian traditions meet modern, intentional living.” I’ve enjoyed watching her transition from librarian to businesswoman to homesteader. And, while we’ve never met in person, I feel like Kristin is someone I’d like to sit on a front porch with and chit chat over a cup of coffee. Her images are captivating and leave me in awe of the world that she’s created for herself.

IT’S YOUR TURN

What old hobby are you looking forward to starting up again? Leave a comment below.

THANK YOU

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new. If you like what you read, please consider sharing this post on Facebook or Pinterest. While I pay for many of the items I share on this blog out of my own pocket, some items are gifted to me {I always disclose those items}.

Happy Baking,

LET’S CONNECT

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