'Sun'– ricotta pastiera domes with orange custard
Item 1 of 1
- 4
- 4 hours 30 minutes
Viviana Varese brings her twist to the classic Italian Easter cake, a pastiera Napoletana, by turning the key elements into this elegant golden dessert. The sun-like dome hides a filling of an orange-scented ricotta bavarois and ricotta wheat cake, perched gracefully atop creamy orange custard and a crunchy biscuit base.
First published in 2016
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Pastiera base
- 250g of wheat grain
- 1l milk
- 1l water
- 100g of eggs
- 50g of sugar
- 125g of buffalo ricotta
Biscuits
- 250g of butter, softened
- 100g of icing sugar
- 5 pasteurised egg yolks
- 350g of 00 flour
Orange custard
- 150g of cream
- 100g of milk
- 1/2 unwaxed orange, zest only
- 1/2 tsp orange blossom essence
- 50g of egg yolks
- 50g of trimoline
Ricotta bavarois
- 150g of buffalo ricotta
- 12g of sugar
- 12g of candied fruits, chopped
- 25g of egg white
- 50g of whipping cream
- 1/2 sheet of gelatine
Golden glaze
- 170g of Valrhona neutral glaze
- 60g of mandarin juice
- 2g of gold dust, plus extra to serve
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Food processor
- Thermometer
- 6cm round cutter
- Small hemisphere moulds 4
Method
1
Begin by preparing the wheat grain for the pastiera base. Place the wheat in a large pan and cover with the milk and water. Stir together then cook over a medium-low heat for 4 hours – if it becomes too dry, top up with equal amounts of milk and water
- 250g of wheat grain
- 1l milk
- 1l water
2
Meanwhile, make the biscuit dough. Place the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and blend until fully combined. While continuing to blend, pour the egg yolks down the funnel to create a smooth mixture
- 250g of butter, softened
- 100g of icing sugar
- 5 pasteurised egg yolks
3
Sift in the flour and process briefly to bring together as a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in cling film then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours
- 350g of 00 flour
4
The orange custard can also be made during this time. Mix together the cream and milk in a pan and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil then add the orange zest and essence
- 150g of cream
- 100g of milk
- 1/2 unwaxed orange, zest only
- 1/2 tsp orange blossom essence
5
Whisk the egg yolks with the trimoline in a bowl then add to the pan and bring the custard up to 84°C, stirring continuously. Strain the custard through a sieve into a clean bowl, cover with cling film and cool. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve
- 50g of egg yolks
- 50g of trimoline
6
Once the biscuit dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
7
Roll out the dough to 1cm thick. Stamp out round biscuits using a 6cm cutter and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden and crisp, then cool on a wire rack until needed
8
Increase the oven temperature to 180°C/gas mark 4
9
Once the wheat has cooked, turn off the heat and allow to cool. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl then stir through the ricotta and cooled wheat until fully combined
- 100g of eggs
- 50g of sugar
- 125g of buffalo ricotta
10
Spread the mixture out thickly on a silicone baking mat or tray lined with baking paper, and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes
11
Allow to cool completely then stamp out rounds with a 6cm cutter. Reserve in the fridge until required
12
To make the ricotta bavarois, pass the ricotta first through a sieve into a small pan. Place over a very gentle heat and warm through to just 25°C so it is smooth and soft
- 150g of buffalo ricotta
13
Transfer the ricotta to a food processor, add the sugar and blend together before mixing in the egg whites and candied fruits. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in a small bowl of water to soften
- 12g of sugar
- 12g of candied fruits, chopped
- 25g of egg white
14
Whip 40ml of the whipping cream in a bowl until soft. Take the remaining 10ml of cream and add to a small pan with the softened gelatine. Bring up to 40°C, stirring to melt the gelatine
- 50g of whipping cream
- 1/2 sheet of gelatine
15
Add both to the ricotta mixture and gently combine to create a smooth cream. Pour into 6cm hemisphere moulds, filling each mould to 2/3 capacity. Top the cream with the reserved pastiera bases – these should fit snugly in the tops of the moulds
16
Transfer the moulds carefully to the freezer to chill and set for at least 2 hours
17
An hour before serving, prepare the golden glaze. Combine all of the ingredients in a pan and place over a very gentle heat. Warm through to just 25°C
- 170g of Valrhona neutral glaze
- 60g of mandarin juice
- 2g of gold dust, plus extra to serve
18
Unmould the frozen hemispheres on to a wire rack. Pour the glaze over each dome to coat fully. Allow the excess to drip off then transfer to the fridge for an hour to defrost
19
To serve, place a round of biscuit into each serving dish. Pour over the chilled orange custard to cover then gently place a golden dome on top. Sprinkle with a little extra edible gold dust to garnish
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