St Joseph's Day Zeppole/ Sfingi
http://gracessweetlife.com/2011/12/saint-josephs-day-fritters-zeppole-di-san-giuseppe/
The pastry cream recipe I’m sharing today will fill two batches of Zeppole or one if you love pastry cream as much as I do (a little taste here and a little taste there). When making the nests make sure you pipe as close to the edge of the base as possible because these nests of pastry dough have a mind of their own, when they’re swimming in the hot oil and rolling over themselves they puff up and before you know the edges of the nests are kissing leaving virtually no opening or a very narrow opening for the luscious pastry cream. And if you’ve ever enjoyed good Zeppole di San Giuseppe you’ve come to expect a generous amount of pastry cream. Don’t disappoint!
And a very popular variation is the Sicilian Saint Joseph’s Day Fritters, the Zeppole are filled with ricotta cannoli filling
An important tip for you, when cooking the nests it’s very important to maintain the temperature of the oil at about 170° C (340° F). Cooking at a higher temperature will cause the surface of the choux buns to brown too quickly tempting you to remove them from the oil well before the interior of the nests is cooked. Cooking time is usually about 5 minutes but for best results and to determine the optimal cooking time, when the oil reaches temperature, fry one bun. When the bun appears to be cooked, remove it from the oil (set-aside to cool slightly) and slice it open to make sure the interior is completely cooked through. Fry the remainder of the choux nests in batches of three. Cooking any more than three at one time will decrease the temperature of the oil. Definitely a big no, no! We want perfectly cooked, light and puffy nests not raw, heavy and greasy.
And believe me there’s nothing more disappointing than biting into a zeppola that hasn’t been cooked through, raw dough is very unpleasant. This method for cooking the choux pastry is a little trickier than baking but taking the time to master this technique is definitely worth the extra effort. The end result speaks for itself. And if you want to experience truly authentic Zeppole di San Giuseppe (and trust me you do!) frying the pastry dough is essential.
**** If you’ve never fried choux pastry before you may want to bake the nests for 2 to 3 minutes in a preheated 200° C (400°F) before deep-frying. The few minutes of baking time will create a light crust on the surface of the pastry preventing the nests from absorbing too much oil.***
Ingredients
- Saint Joseph’s Day Fritters – Zeppole di San Giuseppe
- Posted By Grace Massa Langlois On December 23, 2011 @ 1:17 pm
- Makes 12 Zeppole
- Choux Pastry {Pasta Choux per Bignè}
- Italian Pastry Cream {Crema Pasticcera}
- 250 ml (1 cup + 3/4 tablespoon) whole milk
- 250 ml (1 cup + 3/4 tablespoon) heavy cream, 35%
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
- 6 large egg yolks
- 140 grams (2/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 50 grams (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
- smooth.
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- Choux Pastry {Pasta Choux per Bignè}
- 250 ml (1 cup + 3/4 tablespoon) water
- 90 grams (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 42 grams (3 tablespoons) caster (superfine sugar)
- Pinch of salt
- 150 grams (1 cup + 3 1/4 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3 large eggs
- Zest from 1 lemon
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 220° C (425° F). Cut two 32-cm squares of parchment paper. Cut each square into sixteen 8 x 8-cm (3 x 3-inch) squares. Using a pencil, draw a circle with a 5-cm (2-inch) diameter on each square using a cookie cutter as a guide. Transfer squares to a baking sheet (12 to each baking sheet). To prevent the squares from moving as you pipe the choux pastry, lightly grease the pencil marked side of each square with softened butter and place greased side down on baking sheet.
In a medium saucepan, bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until paste reaches an internal temperature of 80° C (176° F) and pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow paste to cool, stirring a couple of times, to an internal temperature of 50° C (122° F), about 2 minutes.
Transfer paste to bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
Beat paste at medium speed adding the eggs one-at-a-time, making sure each egg is well incorporated into the paste before adding the next.
Add the lemon zest and beat just to combine.
Transfer the paste to the refrigerator and allow paste to chill for 20 minutes.
Heat 8-cm (3 inches) of oil in a large, deep frying pan to 170° C (340° F).
Transfer choux pastry to a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip (like Wilton 6B). To form each zeppole nest, hold the pastry bag perpendicular to the baking sheet and using the drawn circle as your guide (make sure the pencil marks are facing down), pipe a 5-cm-wide (2-inch-wide) circle in a spiral pattern on the parchment square beginning in the centre of the circle and working your way out to the edges of the circle. Without lifting the pastry tip continue piping around the edge of the circle once more to create a nest.
**** If you’ve never fried choux pastry before you may want to bake the nests for 2 to 3 minutes in a preheated 200° C (400°F) before deep-frying. The few minutes of baking time will create a light crust on the surface of the pastry preventing the nests from absorbing too much oil.***
When oil comes to temperature, carefully place 2 to 3 zeppole (do not cook more than 3 zeppole at a time or the oil will not remain hot enough to cook the zeppole) in the oil (attached to the paper, the paper will slip off easily within a few seconds and the paper can be removed with a set of tongs). Cook gently, turning occasionally with a spider or slotted spoon to allow the zeppole to rise evenly, until puffed and golden on each side, about 5 minutes.
Remove zeppole with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on a baking sheet lined with a few layers of paper towels.
Assembling Zeppole
Amareno cherries or maraschino cherries
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting, optional
Transfer pastry cream to a large pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip (Wilton 1M).
If using sweetened whipped cream, transfer sweetened whipped cream to a large pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip (Wilton 1M).
Pipe pastry cream to fill each Zeppole.
Pipe a swirl of sweetened whipped cream on top of pastry cream.
Top with a cherry, dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
Zeppole are best enjoyed on the day they are made.
Bon Appetito!