No bake Italian Cheese Cake >Ricotta Cream Pie

I first had this in a little Cafe in Taormina Sicily and was lucky enough to come away with a much appreciated recipe. Cheese cakes come sweet and savory, the most popular being the Philly Cheese cake thick, rich, heavy and very good. It also takes hours to prepare. This version uses Ricotta Cheese and is just as rich but not as heavy studded with chocolate bits and nuts it comes together rather quickly and best of all it is a no bake recipe. I modified this from the original recipe only  as I have a slightly difficult time getting some of the ingredients that where in the original where I live ( namely; Hazelnuts and Frangelica). So it is a little Texified but just as delicious. Enjoy!


Prep time: 20 min                   Cooking time: 4 hrs ( refrigerator)          Serves : 8

Tools: 9 " Pyrex pie plate

Ingredients:

Cookie crust

1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker crumbs (1 pkg from the box)
2 tbl sugar
1 tbl Cocoa powder
1 stick Unsalted butter 1/2 cup

Filling

1 lb Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup Powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped Pecans
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
*the original recipe:
sub 1 tbl Frangelica  for the Vanilla and Hazelnuts for the Pecans in the filling
The cookie crust sub crushed Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti  for the Graham Crackers


Directions:
 Place in the refrigerator  a mixing bowl and the beaters of your mixer to chill.

Prepare the cookie crust  by smashing the graham crackers  place them in a  zip bag  and rolling them with a rolling pin ( or use  a food  processor ). Empty the cookie crumbs in to the pie plate add the 2 tbl  sugar and the cocoa powder mix well to thoroughly  combine. In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave 20 - 45 sec.

 With a fork mix the  melted butter with the cookie crumb mixture. Using the back of a spoon starting in the center working to the outside and up the sides on the pie plate press the crumbs in to the pan forming the crust.
Place in the microwave and cook 2-3 min (bake in conventional oven 9 min at 325 º F ) remove to a cooling rack.

In a large mixing bowl add the ricotta cheese vanilla and powdered sugar mix well, set aside.
Remove the beaters and bowl from the refrigerator pour the cold heavy cream into the cold bowl and whip the cream to stiff peaks.

By hand fold 1/2 of the whipped cream into the ricotta add the nuts and the chocolate chips then fold in the rest of the whipped cream.

Spoon the filling into the cooled crust and chill 4 hours prior to serving.

To serve drizzle with chocolate sauce and a few crushed nuts.