Neapolitan Easter Pie
A Neapolitan Easter pie with a sweet pastry crust filled with ricotta, pastry cream, and cooked wheat, scented with orange blossom water.
Ingredients
whole-milk ricotta
1 cup (about 8 ounces/225 grams)
hulled white wheat berries
½ cup
sugar
½ cup
cold water
1½ quarts (6 cups)
large eggs
2
salt
½ teaspoon
orange flower water
1 teaspoon
candied orange peel (cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) dice)
½ cup
large egg (for pastry cream)
1
Sweet Tart Dough (half lining a 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan, unbaked, the other half rolled into a 9-inch (23-cm) square and chilled)
1 double batch
large egg yolk (for pastry cream)
1
sugar (for pastry cream)
½ cup
all-purpose flour (for pastry cream)
2 tablespoons
Ground cinnamon (for sprinkling)
milk (for pastry cream)
½ cup
Instructions
1
Step 1
Earlier in the day you plan to bake the pie, combine the wheat berries with the cold water and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and gently simmer the wheat until tender and fully cooked, about 1 hour. Drain the cooked wheat berries and transfer to a bowl to cool.
2
Step 2
Place the oven rack on the lowest level and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
3
Step 3
Make the pastry cream: In a bowl, whisk the egg and yolk, then add the sugar and flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the milk, and scrape the mixture into a small saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and barely simmers. Once the cream comes to a boil, continue stirring for a few seconds.
4
Step 4
Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl. Immediately whisk in the ricotta until smooth. Whisk in the sugar, then add the eggs one at a time. Stir in the orange flower water, candied orange peel, and wheat.
5
Step 5
Scrape the filling into the prepared pie shell and sprinkle a little cinnamon over the filling. Brush water onto the edges of the pie crust.
6
Step 6
Remove the chilled square of dough from the refrigerator and use a serrated knife to cut it into strips about ¾-inch (2-cm) wide. Arrange 5 strips of dough parallel and evenly spaced over the filling, letting the excess dough hang over the edge of the pie pan. Arrange the remaining 5 strips in exactly the same way but at a 45-degree angle to the first set.
7
Step 7
Gently press the ends of the strips to adhere them to the edge of the bottom crust, then use a bench scraper or the back of a knife to trim off the excess dough around the rim of the pie pan.
8
Step 8
Bake the pie until the filling is set and slightly puffed and the crust is cooked through, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.
