Easter Traditions Part II: Pastries and Wheat Pie

There’s so many traditions tied to Easter, but one undisputable tradition is getting up at an ungodly hour on Easter morning to get the Italian pastries and other bakery treats to serve at the dessert table to our guests. Every veteran “Easter-morning-pastry-runner” knows that if you don’t get to the bakery really early you’re going home empty-handed. Well, maybe not empty-handed, but certainly with “B” list pastries and desserts.

Sadly, the types of bakeries that make Italian pastries are shrinking from our area, and I just learned that Vesuvius in Fairview has closed. Here are some of the ones still standing. If you know of others in the area, please share your secret with us!

Michele’s Bakery: Michele’s is the oldest bakery left in Fort Lee and still serves all the classics from cream puffs to crumb cakes. They do offer pastries for the holidays, but get there early.

Michele’s Bakery is located in Linwood Plaza in Fort Lee; 201- 947-4206.

Rispoli’s Pastry Shop: Rispoli’s has been the pastry shop for Easter since forever. People begin lining up at its doors before daybreak. They have every pastry imaginable—mini-sized to full-sized. Family feuds have been started about the supremacy of their cannoli cream.

Rispoli’s Pastry Shop is located at  824 Broad Ave. in Ridgefield; 201-943-6002.

Vitangelo’s: Vitangelo’s is the new kid on the block of bakeries and pastries in our neck of the woods, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not great. Admittedly, About Town discovered Vitangelo’s one Easter when, after over an hour of waiting outside the doors of Rispoli’s, we gave our ticket  to another person and went in search of pastries from somewhere else. Having driven past the then new Vitangelo’s we decided to give it a try. We have been die-hard fans ever since. Not only was it not as crowded as Rispoli’s, but the pastries were equally as great. Since then, Vitangelo’s has a very large following all its own. Parking is the only problem, but on Easter morning, you can park in the lot next door.

 Vitangelo’s is located at the very bottom of Route 5 in Edgewater, just before you turn onto River Road; 201-224-9033.

Palisades Park Bakery: Depending on whom you ask, this is the crowned King of area bakeries. Their pecan and cheese rings are legendary. They offer pastries and cookies as well. Parking is a problem, and tickets are given out if you don’t mind the meters.

Palisades Park Bakery is located at 325 Broad Ave. in Palisades Park; 201-944-3192.

Miller’s Bakery: And then there’s Cliffside Park’s Miller’s. This bakery is crowded on a regular Sunday morning, so be prepared if you go there on Easter Sunday. Miller’s, like Palisades Park Bakery and Michele’s, is one of the last traditional bakeries around. You can’t go wrong with anything Miller’s offers. They also have a second location in Tenafly.

Miller’s Bakery is located at 716 Anderson Ave. in Cliffside Park; 201-943-0400.

In addition to pastries being an Easter tradition, so are flowers. Metropolitan Plant Exchange is the place to get those Easter Plants for Mom, that bouquet for Aunt Millie, and, as many of us know, the arrangements we bring to the cemetery. They’re running a great sale on plants, so make sure you stop and get as many Easter plants as you need to bring with you as you make the Easter Sunday rounds. Metro is open 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Easter Sunday.

Metropolitan Plants is located at 2125 Fletcher Ave.; 201-944-1050.

Our final Easter tradition that we’d like to share a recipe for Wheat Pie. Wheat pie is a wonderfully rich, sweet pie that everyone will enjoy. This recipe comes from our dear Fort Lee friend Rosie D. It’s been in her family for generations and it’s now a part of our family tradition.

Rosie D’s Easter Wheat Pie

Crust                                             Filling

1 c. flour                                         1 ½ lbs ricotta cheese        

2 egg yolks                                    1 lb cooked wheat (Fairway or Jerry’s)

4 tbs milk                                      2 c. sugar

½ c. confection sugar                 3 egg yolks

½ tsp. vanilla                               3 egg whites beaten

½ stick butter                               1 c. boiled milk

                                                        ½ c. chipped citron orange peel

                                                        ½ tsp. cinnamon

                                                        1 ½ tsp orange water

Directions:

Crust:

Sift flour on board.

Form pocket in center of flour.

Drop egg yolks in and add butter in small pieces.

Put all of this into a KitchenAid and mix.

Add confection sugar continue to mix.

Wrap in Saran Wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Filling:

Add sugar, egg yolks, ricotta and blend in KitcheAid.

Beat egg whites until foamy and add to sugar, yolks and ricotta.

Add cooled boiled milk.

Add wheat, citron, orange peel, cinnamon and orange water.

Mix all ingredients and pour into uncooked pie shell. Make a lattice top out of extra dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.