Pastiera With Strawberry Sauce - Easter Ricotta Cake

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 quart whole milk
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• unsalted butter, for pan
• all-purpose flour, for pan
• 3 lbs fresh ricotta cheese, drained 3 hours, preferably over night, through cheesecloth
• 3 large eggs, plus
• 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• 1 pint fresh strawberries or 1 pint raspberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Recipe

• 1 bring milk to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.
• 2 stir in rice, cinnamon, salt and vanilla bean.
• 3 reduce heat to medium low, cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until rice is very tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 30 minutes.
• 4 remove pan from heat, stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar, cover, let cool, stirring occasionally.
• 5 discard vanilla bean.
• 6 preheat oven to 350°f degrees.
• 7 butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
• 8 in a large bowl, fold together, the rice mixture, ricotta, whole eggs and egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar, very carefully using a rubber spatula.
• 9 pour into prepared pan.
• 10 bake until golden, 65 to 70 minutes, cover with foil if starting to brown too much.
• 11 transfer pan to cooling rack.
• 12 when cake has cooled completely, run a knife around edge to loosen.
• 13 gently remove ring; transfer cake to a serving plate.
• 14 sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve at room temperature with sauce.
• 15 sauce:.
• 16 combine all ingredients in a medium nonreactive saucepan.
• 17 cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until berries are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
• 18 serve warm or at room temperature.