Easter Grain Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Vanilla Pastry Cream:Bring milk and vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add milk mixture in a slow, steady stream and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
• Whisking constantly, slowly pour one-third of milk mixture into egg yolks. Pour mixture into remaining milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, pressing directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled and firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Whisk to soften slightly just before using.
• Crust:In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in orange zest. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour mixture.
• Divide dough into 2 disks, one larger (approximately two-thirds of dough) and one smaller. Press each piece into a disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• Filling:Place wheat berries in a medium bowl. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Refrigerate overnight.
• Drain wheat berries, and transfer to a medium saucepan with milk, water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain, and spread on a baking sheet. Let cool about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta and sugar. Add cooled wheat berries and pastry cream. Stir to combine.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger piece of dough to a 14-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 10-by-2-inch springform pan. Pour filling into shell. Trim excess dough to 1/2 inch above filling. Roll out remaining piece of dough, 1/8 inch thick. With a pastry wheel, cut into twelve 3/4-inch strips. Weave strips into a lattice over filling; trim lattice flush with edge of dough.
• Lightly beat egg and brush evenly over top of pie. Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 60 to 90 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool 20 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edge to gently loosen pie. Remove outer ring from springform pan. Let pie cool completely. Serve.

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.

Steps:

• Place the grano in a medium saucepan and cover with water until it is thoroughly immersed. Let it soak at room temperature for 24 hours.
• To prepare the pie shell, combine the flour and sugar in a medium bowl and toss them together. Add the 3 eggs, mixing them in well, but with a light touch to avoid overworking the dough. Once the dough begins to crumble into pea-size pieces, add the butter, using your fingertips to incorporate. If the dough feels dry and is difficult to work, add a little cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you are able to easily form the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
• When the dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and divide the dough in half, reserving one half of the dough for the lattice topping. Roll out one half with a rolling pin until it forms a 12-inch circle, approximately 1/4 inch thick. Fold the circle in half, place it in a deep-dish 10-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie shell.
• To prepare the filling, strain the water from the saucepan. Add new water, once again thoroughly covering the wheat. Place the saucepan on the heat and boil the wheat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the wheat is tender and cooked through. Drain the water from the pan. Add 1 cup of the sugar, the vanilla, and cinnamon, stirring them into the soaked wheat. Set aside, letting the wheat mixture cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the 10 eggs until they are lightly beaten. Add the ricotta and the remaining 1 cup sugar and mix, stopping often to scrape the sides of the bowl. If you want to add raisins to this recipe, add them into the mixture now. Add the cooled wheat mixture and mix on medium again until all the ingredients are well combined.
• To assemble the pie, pour the filling into the pie shell, distributing it evenly. Roll out the second half of the dough, again to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the round into 3/4-inch strips. Place the strips over the top of the pie filling, lattice style, so that the edges of the strips meet the crimped edges of the pie shell. Ultimately, you want to create a checkerboard effect, with the lattice strips placed both vertically and horizontally across the pie.
• To bake, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees for even browning. Bake for 25 more minutes, or until the pie is firm in the middle. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool completely before serving.
• Italian Wheat Pie should be served cold or at room temperature. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Grano is whole durum wheat and is characterized by its firm but chewy consistency. Prior to the popularity of pasta, grano served as a staple in Italian cooking. Soak grano in water overnight before using so that it can soften. Look for it at Italian specialty food shops and local grocery stores.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Place raisins in a small saucepan and cover with boiling water. Cook over low heat or 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
• To Make Dough: In a medium bowl or in a food processor, combine flour and 1/3 cup superfine sugar. Cut in butter or pulse in processor until mixture looks like cornmeal. Mix in 1 egg yolk. Stir in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture holds together when you squeeze it. Wrap with plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• In a medium saucepan, combine cooked rice, milk, orange zest and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is creamy and thick. Remove from heat. Whisk 3 egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl. Gradually add hot rice mixture, about a cup at a time, whisking constantly. Stir in ricotta cheese, cooked raisins and cinnamon. Add vanilla and orange flower water. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll out 3/4 of the pastry dough into an 11-inch circle and line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Roll out remaining dough into a 10-inch circle and cut into lattice strips.
• In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter to lighten it, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.
• Pour filling into dough-lined pan. Criss-cross the lattice strips over the filling. Seal the lattice strips to the bottom pastry edge.
• Bake in preheated oven for an hour, or until pastry is golden brown. Cool at room temperature for about 4 hours, then keep refrigerated.