I am not Italian and had no idea there was something called an “Easter Pie” until Sous Chef saw a photo and recipe in The Baking Sheet published by King Arthur Flour. It turns out “pasteria,” as the pie is otherwise known, is a rich, creamy citrus-laced grain pie. It is also the stuff of legends, with a heavy emphasis on religion.
According to Pasteria.com (yes, there is a whole website devoted to this pie!), a Mermaid named Partenope was rewarded by local villagers for her melodic annual spring serenade. The villagers bestowed upon her their most precious gifts from the land and Partenope dutifully surrendered these to her superiors, the gods and goddess who lived in the sea. One such god or goddesses, perhaps a predecessor of Julia Child, decided to artfully mix all the gifts together with the result being the first pasteria. If you are too parochial to consider the existence of mermaids—notwithstanding Daryl Hannah’s portrayal—then you might accept as gospel that pasteria was invented in a peaceful and secret Neapolitan convent, perhaps the ancient convent of San Gregorio Armeno whose nuns were considered virtuosos in the preparation of pasteria.
The Baking Sheet is a great resource for seasonal and holiday recipes, and Sous Chef was perusing its pages in search of Easter-worthy fare. He became enamored of the Easter Pie and insisted it be the dessert for this year’s Easter dinner. I was less sanguine in my enthusiasm for a number of reasons. First, I am an Easter Pie virgin (although perhaps that is appropriate since this dessert likely originated in a convent), and had no idea what to expect. Second, rice pudding is good, but do you really want rice in your pie? For all I knew, pasteria is some sort of religious punishment the nuns inflict on the sinners? Or maybe it is my penance for booking this year an extra vacation trip to the Maynard Dixon Country art event in Mt. Carmel, Utah so I can stalk two of my favorite artists, Clyde Aspevig and Jeremy Lipking? Let’s just say that on first glance at the recipe I was very, very skeptical that this pie would be a winner.
But I am intrepid when it comes to trying new recipes. Plus, Sous Chef can be very persuasive (or is that daunting?) when he wants to be. So Easter Pie became part of the Easter menu—and thank Poseidon and the nuns for that. It was sublime—light in texture with a fragrant bouquet. The King Arthur Flour recipe is a modernized version with a graham cracker crust seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon and doused in butter. Arborio rice is simmered in whole milk until it is rich and creamy, then added to a fluffy sugar and egg mixture that has been seasoned with vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice (or Fiori di Sicilia). The combined mixture is then poured into the pie shell and baked for 55 minutes.
Pasteria is so good it caused the very dour Queen Maria Theresa of Austria to smile on first bite, whereupon her husband, Ferdinand II, exclaimed: “I’ll have to wait until next Easter to see my wife smiling again!” My suggestion is to keep smiling year-round and eat Easter Pie whatever the season and whenever the mood strikes. There is no reason to limit this delightful dessert just to Easter.
- Base:
- 1 cup (about 6 full sheets) of graham cracker crumbs
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup melted, unsalted butter
- Filling
- 3 cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup Arborio, long grain or converted rice
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 pound ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon rind
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350.
- For the base: Whisk the spices into the cracker crumbs. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is evenly moistened, then press into the pie pan and up the sides. The mixture will be fairly dry; that is how it is supposed to be.
- For the filling: Simmer the milk and rice slowly, until thickened, and the rice has absorbed all the milk. Remove the pan from the heat to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, then beat in the sugar until the mixture thickens. Stir in the ricotta, lemon and vanilla. Fold in the cooked rice.
- Pour the rice filling into the crust. Bake the pie in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 55 minutes, until it's set in the center. Remove it from the oven, cool, and serve with sliced strawberries or raspberries, if desired.
Ok. I am going to have to give that recipe another look.
I love The Baking Sheet – especially now that they also have on line access to all the back issues through their app.
Oh, my does your Easter pie topped with cream and berries look amazing! Who knew a rice pie could be so decadent? Hope you had a wonderful Easter!!!
I am glad to see this. I was recently in the desert and saw this pie in the glass cases of Frankie’s Italian Deli and thought it looked absolutely amazing and yummy and sinful and wanted to know how to make it! Thanks! And, a side note, is that a photo of you in Sedona … looks like the same shot I was in recently.