Pastiera With Strawberry Sauce Easter Ricotta Cake Recipes

PASTIERA WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE - EASTER RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Bring milk to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.
• Stir in rice, cinnamon, salt and vanilla bean.
• Reduce heat to medium low, cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until rice is very tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar, cover, let cool, stirring occasionally.
• Discard vanilla bean.
• Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
• Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
• In a large bowl, fold together, the rice mixture, ricotta, whole eggs and egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar, very carefully using a rubber spatula.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake until golden, 65 to 70 minutes, cover with foil if starting to brown too much.
• Transfer pan to cooling rack.
• When cake has cooled completely, run a knife around edge to loosen.
• Gently remove ring; transfer cake to a serving plate.
• Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve at room temperature with sauce.
• Sauce:.
• Combine all ingredients in a medium nonreactive saucepan.
• Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until berries are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

PASTIERA WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring the milk to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla bean. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the rice is very tender and has absorbed all the liquid, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Cover; let cool, stirring occasionally. Discard the vanilla bean.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, combine the rice mixture, ricotta, whole eggs and egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until golden on top and almost set in the center, 65 to 70 minutes; cover with foil if starting to brown too much. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.
• When the cake has completely cooled, run a knife around the edge to loosen. Gently remove the ring; transfer the cake to a serving platter. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve with sauce.
• Strawberry Sauce
• Combine all the ingredients in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• About Pastiera
• Pastiera, a traditional Neopolitan Easter "pie," is actually a type of cheesecake. Though no two recipes are alike, all contain ricotta cheese and a sweetened grain (usually rice or wheat berries), symbolizing spring's fertility.

PASTIERA NAPOLETANA (NEAPOLITAN WHEATBERRY AND RICOTTA EASTER CAKE) RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• For the pastry: Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Chop the cold butter into small pieces and pulse together in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and lemon zest and knead just until the mixture comes together. If you find it a bit dry, add some cold water, a tablespoon at a time until it forms a dough; if it's too wet, add a bit of flour. Cover in plastic wrap and rest at least 30 minutes or overnight. If you're using uncooked wheat berries, then you first need to cook them by soaking them in water for 3 days (change the water twice a day), then draining and cooking in a large pot of at least 4 cups of fresh water. Simmer for 1 ½ hours without stirring, until soft. Drain and reserve until needed (this will keep well in an air tight container the fridge for 1 week) then carry on to the next step. If using pearl barley as a substitute, leave the uncooked barley to soak in a large bowl of fresh water overnight, then the next day cook it in plenty of water for 30 minutes or until soft. Drain then follow the rest of the recipe. Place the cooked wheat berries in a saucepan over medium heat with the butter, milk and lemon zest. Bring to a boil gently, stirring occasionaly until it becomes very thick and creamy like oatmeal, about 15 minutes. Let cool until needed. In a bowl, beat the eggs and extra yolks with the ricotta, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and orange blossom water until creamy. Leave this mixture to rest several hours (better if overnight) in the fridge. Fold the cooled wheat berry cream and the rested ricotta mixture together with the finely chopped candied citron. Roll out about two thirds of the pastry and place in a 10 inch (25 centimeter) greased springform tin. Cut off any overhang and add to the remaining pastry, roll out again and with a pastry crimper wheel, cut long strips about ¾ an inch wide. Fill the pastry base with the ricotta mixture and even out the borders of the pastry to the level of the mixture. Lay the long pastry strips gently across the top to form a a criss-cross diamond pattern (not square), pressing the strips on the edge of the pastry very gently. If desired, you can brush the lattice gently with some egg wash to make it shiny. Bake the pastiera for 1 hour at 390ºF (200ºC) until the pastry is golden and the pastiera is amber-brown on top. Allow to cool completely inside the springform pan before removing or chilling. Ideally serve the pastiera the next day (remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before eating to take away some of the chill) with some powdered sugar sifted over the top. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

PASTIERA DI PASQUA (ITALIAN EASTER TART WITH RICOTTA)

Steps:

• Bring wheat grains, milk, butter, and 1/2 of the lemon zest to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 11-inch tart pan.
• Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, orange flower water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Mix in remaining lemon zest and candied orange peel. Fold in wheat mixture and mix filling until well combined.
• Roll out 1 sheet puff pastry on a lightly floured surface so it will fit into the tart pan. Place pastry in the pan and spoon filling on top. Roll out the second puff pastry sheet and cut into 3/4-inch thick strips. Layer a lattice pattern on top of the filling and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake tart in the preheated oven until filling is set and lattice is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool inside the tart pan, at least 1 hour.
• Carefully unmold tart, transfer onto a cake platter. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Bring milk to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla bean. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until rice is very tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Cover; let cool, stirring occasionally. Discard vanilla bean.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch-round, 3-inch-deep springform pan. In a large bowl, combine the rice mixture, ricotta, whole eggs and egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until golden on top and almost set in the center, 65 to 70 minutes; cover with foil if starting to brown too much. Transfer pan to a cooling rack.
• When cake has completely cooled, run a knife around edge to loosen. Gentlyremove ring; transfer cake to a serving platter. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve with sauce.