Easter Pie Cupcake

Easter pie is an Italian tradition. I make a sweet (but slightly savory) version of it every year for dessert at Easter dinner. This time, I shrunk them down and used my cupcake pan. It is made with sheets of phyllo brushed with butter in between each layer. The cup is then filled with a ricotta, egg, toasted pine nuts, short grain brown rice, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest mixture. The tops are brushed with butter and browned in the oven. I topped them with few pieces of orange zest, a couple pine nuts, and a dusting of powdered sugar. They come out like delicate yet crispy, yummy little nuggets. The texture of the filling is somewhere between of cheesecake and rice pudding.