Pastiera Wheat And Ricotta Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and citrus zest in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine the dry ingredients.
• Add all of the cold, cubed butter to the bowl, and process until the mixture is sandy and there are no visible lumps of butter.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the food processor and pulse three or four times or until the dough comes together. If necessary, add some ice water, a few drops at a time, to make the dough come together.
• Remove the dough from the food processor and knead by hand briefly to even out any dry or wet spots. Form the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
• Place the cooked grain, milk, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon in a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon until the mixture is creamy. The grains will retain their shape, but the rest of the mixture should be soft and smooth and there should be no huge clumps of grain; it should resemble creamy oatmeal. Transfer the grain mixture to a shallow bowl and allow it to cool completely.
• On a floured board, roll 2/3 of the pasta frolla into an 11-inch circle, 1/8th of an inch thick. Transfer the dough to a deep, 9-inch pie plate, or a 9 x 2-inch layer cake pan by rolling the dough around the pin and then unrolling it onto the pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, then trim the dough to leave a 1/2-inch overhang. Gather the scraps and save them for another use. Chill the shell while you put together the rest of the filling. (You can use a larger pan, but the filling will not be as deep.).
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the middle of the oven.
• If you like, you can give the ricotta a quick spin in the food processor to smooth it out, but this is optional. Place the ricotta in a large bowl and whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and orange flower water or orange zest. Mix in the grain mixture and candied fruits, making sure all the ingredients are completely combined.
• Roll out the remaining pasta frolla into a rectangle at least 11 inches long and 6 inches wide. Using a pastry cutter, make 6 or 7 long strips of dough, 3/4-inch wide.
• Pour the filling into the chilled shell and carefully arrange the enough of the strips on top to form a lattice pattern. Pinch the edges together with the overhang to seal. Trim all the pastry flush with the top of the pan, then gently roll it down and inward with your finger to form a lip around the perimeter.
• Use a fork to slightly beat the egg with a small splash of water to make an egg wash. With a pastry brush, glaze the pastry strips and edges. Bake the pastiera on the middle rack of the oven for 55 to 60 minutes, rotating it 180° after 20 minutes to ensure even browning. If necessary, you can protect the edges from overbrowning with some strips of aluminum foil.
• The pastiera is done when the filling is set but jiggly and the pastry is golden brown. A knife inserted in the center will come out clean. Remove it from the oven and set it to cool on a rack. Allow the pastiera to cool completely, or chill it overnight before cutting it into wedges to serve.

Steps:

• Combine cooked wheat berries, milk, butter, and zest of 1 lemon in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease an 11-inch springform pan or aluminum pan and line with one of the pastry crusts.
• Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, 1 tablespoon orange flower water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor; mix until smooth. Mix in remaining lemon zest and orange peel. Fold in wheat berry mixture and pour over the bottom crust.
• Roll out remaining pastry crust and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place on top of the pie in a lattice pattern and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is cooked through and top is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for about 30 minutes.
• Remove pie carefully from the pan and place on a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Soak 100 g (3½ oz) farro or wheat grains (berries) in plenty of cold water, changing the water daily, for three days.
• For the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar, salt, orange zest and butter in a food processor and blitz to a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add the egg yolks to the mixer and blend again briefly, until the mixture comes together as a dough (add a tablespoon or two of iced water if the dough is still dry and does not come together). Form the dough into two equal rounds with your hands. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill in the fridge or freezer, depending on when you want to use it. It needs to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before you roll it.
• Grease a deep 23 cm (9 in) cake tin/crostata tin with butter, then dust it lightly with flour. After the dough has rested, roll it out to a rough 2 mm (1/16 in) thickness and line the cake tin, pushing the dough up the sides of the tin to create a 5-7.5 cm (2-3 in) depth and trimming any overhang. Don't worry too much about perfectly thin, even pastry. Reserve the pastry trimmings for the lattice top. Chill the pastry case in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Remove the pastry case from the fridge and blind-bake until just golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
• For the farro or wheat berries, on the third day of soaking, drain the soaked grain. Cook in a saucepan with the milk, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt over a very low heat, covered with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes until the grain is plump and tender and all the milk had been absorbed. Spread the grain out on a plate to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
• For the rest of the filling, whisk or beat the ricotta in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the orange zest, candied fruit, sugar, orange blossom water, vanilla and salt. Into this mixture, stir the cooled cooked wheat. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then fold them gently into the ricotta mixture.
• Pour the whole lot into the prepared pastry case. Cut the leftover pastry dough into strips about 2 cm (¾ in) wide, and arrange them over the top in a diagonal lattice. Use your fingers to press the edges of each strip into the pastry case walls to seal them.
• Brush the top of the tart with the beaten egg and bake for 90 minutes, or until biscuit brown all over.
• Let the tart cool and the filling settle, for at least 12 hours in a cool place before slicing into it. Serve, finally, with coffee and congratulations.

Steps:

• Soak the wheat berries in plenty of cold water for at least 3 days, or until they soft and not rubbery, changing the water daily. Drain well. Put the wheat, lard and milk in the top of a double boiler and cook, covered, over boiling water for about 2 1/2 hours. Be sure to add boiling water to the botton pan every 20 to 30 minutes. (The wheat should be soft and in separate grains, like rice. If the wheat seems dry, add about Y cup more hot milk and stir well. Timing will vary depending on the age of the wheat berries.) Add the sugar and continue cooking another 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. The milk will continue to be absorbed as wheat cools.
• To make the pastry dough, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon rind in a bowl. Add the butter, cut into little pieces, and mix quickly, using your hands or a pastry blender. Mix in the ice water just until the dough holds together. Knead briefly to combine thoroughly, wrap in plastic wrap or foil and set aside to rest in a cool place for about 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta with the lemon zest, orange-flower water, vanilla, candied orange peel and egg yolks. Mix well and fold in the wheat. Set aside.
• Lightly butter and flour the bottoms and sides of two 9 1/2-inch tart or quiche pans with removable bottoms. Set aside about a third of the pastry, enough to make lattice tops for the two tarts. Roll out the pastry into thin circles and line the bottoms and sides of the tart pans.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat the egg whites until they are fairly stiff. Stir about a quarter of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture to soften, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Fill the tarts with the mixture. Roll out the reserved dough and cut into lattice strips to fit the tops of the tarts. Paint the tops of the tarts with the beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the crust is just golden. Cool on a rack and serve at room temperature or just barely warm.