3.4.13

Pastiera : Neapolitan Easter Pie aka Ricotta Cake (A Cake A Week # 6)

Celebrating Easter with food and crafts was all over the blogs. and though we do not celebrate Easter, the excitement around found its way in and I decided to indulge.I baked a traditional Italian Easter dessert, Pasteria also known as the Ricotta Cake. This is a delicious dessert made with creamy ricotta, eggs and arborio rice cooked in whole milk with a hint of cinnamon. Apparently, this dessert originated in Naples and there are several versions of it. I choose to baked the Martha Stewart version which I found at Our Italian Table and we were delighted at the outcome. 

Since I was baking the cake for just the two of the three of us, Mr MN, baby and me, initially I scaled down the recipe to one-third. however, because of my inexperience with  arborio rice, I found it difficult to cook as directed in the recipe. so, half way through the cooking I made some  minor changes. also, it had actually become quite late by the time i finished cooking the rice, so i refrigerated it right away and proceeded to make the cake the next day. thankfully none of that spoilt the cake and we relished it very much for our Sunday brunch.

now a quick look at my bake of the week and then off to the recipe...

Recipe Adapted from Our Italian Table

ingredients 
1 +1/3 + 3/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup arborio rice 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt1 tespoon vanilla extract
3/4 +1/8 cups granulated sugarUnsalted butter, for pan
All-purpose flour, for pan

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 large whole egg + 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

chopped almonds and raisins


for the garnish
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Strawberry sauce (recipe given below)
what i did.
I started by boiling 1 + 1/3 cup of milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. when the milk started boiling, i stirred in the rice, cinnamon and salt. then reduced the heat to medium low and cooked, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. however my rice did not become tender in the time mentioned in the recipe, though most of the milk had evaporated. so i added about 1/4 cup of milk and stirred. and then repeated the process 2 more times till the rice became tender and creamy and all the liquid was absorbed.
i then added the 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract and refrigerated the cooked rice till next morning. ( note that refrigerating was not part of original recipe but i did so because it was pretty late and this did not meddle with the final product.)
next morning, i preheated the oven to 350 degree F, buttered and floured my 6 inch spring-foam pan, then combined the cooked rice with ricotta, the whole egg, the egg yolk and the remaining sugar. finally i poured the battered into the prepared pan, sprinkled the chopped almonds and raisin on top and baked for 75-80 minutes, until the surface of the cake looked golden and firm.
i then took the pa out and let the cake cool completely before transferring it into my inverted rubbermaid box and refrigerating till Sunday brunch.

On Sunday I served the cake with Martha Stewart's Strawberry Sauce.

For the sauce, i microwaved 3/4 cup frozed strawberry + 1 teaspoon sugar + freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon. The combination was refreshing and we really enjoyed it... and Easter or not around here we'll certainly be having lots of this...

Happy Baking and have a nice week !

Sharing this with 
Flavors of Cuisine ~ Italian, an event announced by Julie of Erivum Puliyum and hosted by Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipes,  FR Event ~ Bookmarked recipes, an event announced by Swathi of Zesty South India Kitchen and hosted by Pallavi of Cook, Eat, Burp.
Tuesday Food:  Tempt my Tummy @Blessed with GraceTotally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe BoxTasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug BlessingsShare it Link Party @ Winthrop ChroniclesWow Me WednesdayWhat's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked MomCast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain  Wednesday Whatsit @White Lights on Show and Share @ Semi Homemade MomWonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2Seasonal Celebration @ Natural Mother's NetworkHearth and Soul Blog Hop : 145Thursday Food:Link it Up Thursday @ Seven AliveCreative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty CreationsFantastic Thursday @ Three Little ChiefsThriving on Thursdays @ DomesblissityTasty Thursdays @ The Mandatory MoochFreedom Friday @ My TurnSpicy Thursday @ DC in Style
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid SimpleFriday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet HomeFoodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness MissFriday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes

13 comments:

  1. oh wow, I bet that is really moist and good! thanks for linking to Saturday Dishes! ~ Paula www.callmepmc.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it was very moist and very delicious. Thanks for stopping by Paula.

      Delete
  2. Yum! This sounds divine!
    I'm visiting you today from Our Delightful Home. I hope you get a chance to stop by my blog and leave a comment, too!
    ~ Megin of VMG206
    Medicine Cabinet Makeover

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh boy so rich and deli-sh. Beautiful recipe. I had never heard of this. Thanks for linking :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is something so very new to me Tanu. Looks delish!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I will be a happy baker if I make this cake! It looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I will have to try this recipe next year I made a very simple version, though my family is Italian and it may be what they want. Gorgeous cake.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I found you from Marvelous Mondays link party. I would love if you would share at my Tried and True Recipe party: http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-and-true-recipes-6.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party and I hope that you will join us again next week.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very different, thanks for sharing at Foodie friends Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a lovely dessert! Thank you for sharing this recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Delicious easter pie, thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog Hop. I am highlighting this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would love for you to share this on my Meatless Monday link up. Thanks for sharing!
    http://www.littlestsweetpea.com/2013/04/meatless-meals-link-up-1.html

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. It was nice having you here. Have a good day.

Take care and come back soon.
Best, Tanusree

Like us

Printfriendly

.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...