PASTIERA NAPOLETANA by Franco and Ann Taruschio

 SERVES 20

TRADITIONALLY PASTIERA IS MADE ON MAUNDY THURSDAY AND NOT LATER THAN GOOD FRIDAY TO ALLOW THE FRAGRANCES TO DEVELOP PROPERLY AND RESULT IN THAT UNIQUE FLAVOUR. TO BE EATEN ON EASTER SUNDAY.

Ingredients 

 700g ricotta, sieved

550g jar grano cotto Grano Cotto D'amico Pastiera Napoletana 580g

300g milk

30g butter

300g sugar

150g mixed candied peel

2 tablespoons orange blossom water

7 whole eggs separated + 3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

Pinch of powdered cinnamon

 Pastry.

 500g flour

200g butter

200g sugar

3 eggs

Grated zest of 1 orange

  Preheat oven to 200C

 Method

Pour the contents of the jar into a pan, add the milk and butter. Bring the mixture to the boil mixing with a wooden spoon all the time, boil until the mixture becomes creamy.

Leave to get cold. As soon as the mixture is cold add the ricotta, sugar, whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla essence, cinnamon, orange blossom water and diced candied peel. Beat with a balloon whisk until the mixture is a liquid.

 Make the pastry, do not work too much. Roll out and put the pastry into 2 large loose bottomed pastry tins. Leave enough pastry to make lattice strips.

Pour the grano mixture into the pastry tins and decorate with lattice strips.

Place in the oven and as soon as the top is golden turn off the heat and leave in the oven for about 1 hour to dry out. Shake icing sugar on the cake before serving.

 By Franco and Ann Taruschio