This is cream cheese in the Lebanese cuisine, which is much sweeter and lower in calories. Serve with olive oil, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mint on a platter. Or simply spread it over pita bread like cream cheese.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ cups cooked wheat berries
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 lemons, zested, divided
- 1 (15 ounce) package pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie
- 1 (15 ounce) container sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons orange flower water, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 ounces candied orange peel, diced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Combine cooked wheat berries, milk, butter, and zest of 1 lemon in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease an 11-inch springform pan or aluminum pan and line with one of the pastry crusts.
- Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, 1 tablespoon orange flower water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor; mix until smooth. Mix in remaining lemon zest and orange peel. Fold in wheat berry mixture and pour over the bottom crust.
- Roll out remaining pastry crust and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place on top of the pie in a lattice pattern and brush with beaten egg.
- Bake in the preheated oven until filling is cooked through and top is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for about 30 minutes.
- Remove pie carefully from the pan and place on a serving plate. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
- You can also use citrus peel instead of orange peel.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 711 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 105 g |
| Cholesterol | 147 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 359 mg |
| Sugars | 46 g |
| Fat | 27 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This is exactly what my mom used to make, right down to the orange flower water (a must in my opinion)! NOTE: Next time I will reduce the sugar from 1 and three-quarters cup to 1 and one quarter. Also, this year I am doubling the recipe. I will let you know how that worked out! Thank you so much for this recipe!