Unusual Almond Pastiera
An unusual pastiera to surprise your guests at Easter and Easter Monday! It’s filled with a delicious almond ricotta cream and without candied fruit. Everyone asked me for seconds!
An easy pastiera, without candied fruit and without pastry cream, that will delight your guests at Easter.
If you prefer the true traditional Neapolitan pastiera, you must try my foolproof, well-tested recipe “Neapolitan Pastiera, Original Recipe“.
If you are looking for other recipes (sweet and savory) for Easter and Easter Monday, click my “Special Easter Recipes”
Also of interest:
- Creamy Pappardelle with Fava Beans, Chicory and Ricotta – Easy Spring Recipe.
- Super Tender Veal Roast Cooked in Milk – Family Recipe.
- Oven-Roasted Potatoes: Crispy Outside and Soft Inside by Blumenthal
- Neapolitan Pizza Chiena – Original Family Recipe
- Easter Pie with Pecorino, Step by Step. Reliable, Foolproof Recipe.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: Spring, Easter
Ingredients for the Shortcrust Pastry:
- 4 cups All-purpose flour (00) (Low W; I use Caputo Pasticceria (about 500 g))
- 5 Egg yolks
- 1 1/8 cups Lard (strutto) (about 250 g / 8.8 oz)
- 1 1/4 cups Granulated sugar (about 250 g / 8.8 oz)
- 1 Orange zest
- 1 Lemon zest
- 2 tbsp Cointreau
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Orange blossom water
- 2 cups Ricotta (about 500 g / 17.6 oz)
- 1 3/4 cups Granulated sugar (about 350 g / 12.3 oz)
- 1 1/4 cups Almond flour (Finely ground almonds (about 125 g / 4.4 oz))
- 1 1/4 cups Cooked wheat (grano cotto) (about 250 g / 8.8 oz)
- 7 Egg yolks
- as needed Milk (to cook the wheat)
- 1 tbsp Lard (to cook the wheat)
- 1 Orange zest (to cook the wheat)
- 1 tbsp Sugar (to cook the wheat)
- 1 sachet Ground cinnamon (about 1 tsp)
- 1/4 cup Orange blossom water (60 ml)
- 1 Orange zest
- 1 Lemon zest
- 7 Egg whites (whipped to stiff peaks)
Tools for the Unusual Almond Pastiera
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowls various sizes
- Hand blender powerful, with 5 accessories
- Stand mixer Kenwood 1200 W power with double bowl
- Pan conical pastiera pan
Preparation for the Unusual Almond Pastiera
Prepare the shortcrust pastry in the stand mixer (or food processor or by hand). Using the paddle, mix the lard and flour first, then quickly add the remaining ingredients. Form a smooth dough, shape into a disk and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
For the Filling: cook the wheat covered with milk with a tablespoon of lard, the tablespoon of sugar and the grated zest of one orange and a pinch of salt, for about 20 minutes. Let it cool.
In another bowl, work the ricotta (I pass it through my electric ricer first) with 1 3/4 cups (350 g) of sugar. Then add 7 egg yolks, a pinch of salt, the grated zest of lemon and orange, the cinnamon, the finely ground almonds, the vanilla, the cold cooked wheat (you can blend it if you prefer), the orange blossom water (1/4 cup / 60 ml) and mix everything well. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, whip the 7 egg whites to stiff peaks and finally fold them into the ricotta and wheat mixture.
Roll out part of the shortcrust pastry and line a 24 cm pan (about ø9 1/2 in, height about 1 9/16 in). Fill with the prepared filling. With the remaining dough, form strips about 2 cm wide (about 3/4 in) and arrange them diagonally over the filling.
If you see the strips cracking, chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes before placing them on the filling.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes on the lower rack, then move the pastiera to the center rack. It should bake slowly at 320°F (160°C) for about 1 hour or more. After baking, leave it in the oven turned off for 15 minutes.
Dust the almond pastiera with vanilla powdered sugar. Enjoy this unusual almond pastiera at least two days later to allow the flavors to meld and obtain a fragrant pastiera that melts in your mouth.
Shopping Tips!!!
To mix doughs perfectly and comfortably, I use my Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL stand mixer with illuminated 7L bowl, built-in scale and 1400 W, a faithful kitchen ally for: mixing, weighing, whipping, tempering chocolate, and pasteurizing eggs.
If instead you are looking for a more economical and smaller stand mixer, you can safely choose the Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker stand mixer with double bowls (5L and 3.5L), 1200W.
I passed the ricotta through my electric ricer in a few minutes with the practical Braun electric ricer / immersion blender (“masher accessory”, also ideal for potatoes).
To bake the pastiera, I used the typical low conical pastiera pan like this 2-piece set.
You can buy all the items I recommend above on Amazon at a great price by clicking directly on the relevant links.
How should pastiera be stored?
In Naples, the pastiera is traditionally prepared on Maundy Thursday to be eaten on Easter Sunday, and it is not refrigerated; it should remain at room temperature. Once baked, the ricotta no longer behaves like fresh ricotta and becomes much more stable at room temperature. Therefore, the pastiera can safely stay at room temperature for a week.
You can also freeze it (whole or in portioned slices) and it will keep for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the pastiera uncooked.Should the ricotta for the pastiera be sieved?
Yes, I quickly pass it through my electric ricer (see Shopping Tips above).
