Ricotta Pie
Tarretta's Bakery
Revere, MA
Torretta's Bakery is a small Italian shop with authentic old Italian women whipping up authentic Italian pastries. It's amazing. The shop sits right across the intersection from the Beachmont T Station in Revere. It's a corner shop with customers ducking in and out every few minutes. I went on a Sunday afternoon when there were only two other young women choosing pastries and fresh pizza. Two ladies worked the register, immediately asking what I'd like. I chose four different pastries, although it was the Ricotta Pie that was top on my list of purchases. I'd never had ricotta pie, and having Tarretta's may have been the worst decision I could have made because it sets the bar SO high that there may not be a ricotta pie that ever compares. It's AMAZING. Really, like the naughtiest thing you could possibly ever eat. Subtly sweet fluffy, moist ricotta. Barely any powdered sugar on top, so nothing overwhelming. The crust was super moist and buttery itself. It's hard to describe, but you know when you have an apple pie and the apple juices have soaked into the bottom of the crust so that its moist, sweet and soft - but not too mushy? This ricotta pie is like that on all sides. There is nothing crunchy or flaky. It's just 100% the very best part of the pie crust. It's magical.
The other things I had - a lime tart and two other pastries involving the same amazing ricotta fillings that have Italian names, which I can't remember. One was layers of soaked spongecake and sweet ricotta, while the other was like an open face sfogliatelle or pasticiotti. I'll simply have to return and jot down the names.
