Receta Italian Easter Pie...
Spoiler Alert: This is dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good...5 dangs on the ol' meter! No ifs, ands, or butttts! It's light, flakey, creamy...okay, now I'm really getting ahead of myself, so let me show you what I'm talking about...
Fresh from the oven, this Phyllo-dough crust encases a rich, creamy, rice-pudding like center with a light orange scent that will seduce you with it's simplicity. I haven't been this excited about a dessert for ages! This is not a sexy dessert...no chocolate decadence, no meringue puffs, no molten-lava-fruited-reduction-drizzles, not even a cherry on top...it's different. It has a fresh, clean taste thanks to orange zest, bringing you a bite of spring with every forkful. It's also comforting; it IS rice-pudding like because of the rice, swirled into a ricotta custard with toasted pine nuts...Oh.So.Good. And then my friends...then there's the crust/pastry/buttered sheets of nothing but pure caloric fun...this pie is the perfect ending to any Easter feast.
Phyllo dough, ricotta, pine nuts and butter...how could this NOT be great?!? I know my mom will love this dessert, too - mom and my dad are coming for Easter, so I wanted something they would love. And aside from being delicious, this pie has an old-fashioned-rustic-home-cooking-kind of look and feel to it ...what it lacks in beauty it makes up for in taste. Also as I can attest, it's equally as delicious eaten in the morning for breakfast!
Two things you need to remember before you start this recipe...take the phyllo dough out of the refrigerator and let it thaw for 4 to 5 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen...you can't work with it unless it is completely thawed. Also, you will need 1/2 cup of cooked and slightly cooled white rice...so you do have to plan ahead a bit. If you've never worked with phyllo dough, you have nothing to worry about - it's easy, as long as it's kept covered so it doesn't dry out, nothing can go wrong!
Italian Easter Pie - Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis/Food Network
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (about 2 oranges)
- 1 (15 oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese (do not use part-skim ricotta)
- 1/2 cup cooked short-grained white rice
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 6 sheets phyllo sheets, thawed completely
- 3/4 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To toast pine nuts: put nuts into a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, fragrant and toasted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from skillet to a plate to cool.
Blend 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the rice and pine nuts. Set the ricotta mixture aside.
Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie dish. Unroll phyllo dough, you will only use 6 layers so remove what you need, reroll the rest to save for another recipe. Brush the top layer of phyllo with melted butter, covering completely. Carefully place this sheet of phyllo over the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish, allowing the phyllo to hang over the sides. Brush the second sheet of phyllo with the melted butter and lay it in the opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue buttering and layering the remaining sheets of phyllo, alternating each layer as you go. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely. Brush top of pie completely with melted butter.
Bake the pie until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over the pie and serve. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Refrigerate any leftovers...as if!
"April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go." ~Christopher Morley
One year ago: Ragu Alla Bolognese With Homemade Pasta
Two years ago: Asparagus and Rice Soup
Three years ago: Black Bean and Corn Salad