Recipe: Easter Rice Pie (sweet, The Italian Bakery cookbook, 1980's)

EASTER RICE PIE

Pastry Dough (recipe follows)
FOR THE FILLING:
1/2 cup rice, uncooked
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
6 eggs
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. lemon extract

Combine rice, 1 1/4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Boil per instructions on package; cool.

Mix sugar and flour together blending thoroughly. With electric mixer, mix in eggs, milk and lemon extract and beat until lemon color. Stir in boiled rice and mix well.

Roll out dough to fit 10-inch diameter and 1 1/2-inch deep pie plate, cutting 2-inches bigger than pie plate. Fit in pie plate, fold under extra dough and flute. Pour in filling.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Cover top loosely with a sheet of foil to prevent too much browning and bake another 10 minutes until done.

PASTRY DOUGH
Make 2 crusts (freeze 1/2 of the dough for future use)

4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in shortening. Add egg, milk and vanilla and mix to a firm dough. Divide dough in two pieces. Wrap one piece in plastic wrap and let rest while you prepare filling. Freeze other piece for future use.

Makes 1 (10-inch) pie
Source: The Italian Bakery by Lee Mangione Cirillo, Cirillo's Cooking School, 1982