Baked San Giuseppe Zeppole
March 19 is the Feast of San Giuseppe, a religious holiday in Italy and also the day Italians celebrate Father’s Day. father’s day. In some parts of Italy, school-age Italian children secretly hide letters under their dad’s dinner plate containing gratitude and promises of good behavior. There are many special regional desserts for the San Giuseppe festival, but the most popular in southern Italy, especially Naples, are egg-rich donuts served with a thick vanilla-lemon custard topped with cherries.
There is an Italian proverb that says:“St. Joseph the Pancake Maker is part party man.” That is, March 19thDayOn the festival of San Giuseppe, fried food is so popular that it is not actually a day off for stores selling fried food. Although often fried, these donuts can also be baked, making them light enough to double the custard and add an extra cherry on top! Speaking of cherries, my favorite thing about authentic zeppole is blacksmith company. Wild cherries in syrup have been popular in Italy since the company’s founding in 1905. This fruit is a wonderfully dark red with a firmness that gives it an amazing texture.
Recipe makes 6 large donuts or 12 mini donuts.
For custard:
1 2/3 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup potato starch
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 vanilla bean, ground in a microplane
1/4 teaspoon salt
For donuts:
3 ounces, 6 tablespoons, unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup, 4 1/4 ounces, cake, pastry or flour 00
4 large eggs, room temperature
To serve:
12 Fabry cherries
guideline:
For custard:
Put the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, in a bowl using an electric handheld mixer, beat egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, potato starch, zest, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy. Pour the hot milk into a bowl and beat until combined.
Pour the entire mixture back into the pot and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
Immediately pour the mixture into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the custard to prevent a crust from forming, and refrigerate until ready to use.
For donuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, bring 2/3 cup water, butter, and salt to a boil, stirring until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, add the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until combined. It will be very dense.
Return the pot to low heat and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the flour has absorbed all the liquid and forms a ball, pulling away from the side of the pan. Continue stirring until a film forms on the bottom of the pan and the batter is no longer sticky, about 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat, transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
Beat the eggs in a measuring cup. Add the beaten eggs little by little while whipping vigorously with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding more eggs. The dough will look like lumpy cottage cheese, but this is normal. Continue adding eggs, beating after each addition, until the batter is thick and ribbon-like.
Place the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star nozzle or a sturdy plastic bag with a hole perforated on one end, and pipe out 6 large 3-inch-diameter donuts or 12 small 1 1/2-inch donut shapes. Pipe two layers of dough onto each donut, regardless of size, and pipe one layer of dough onto the other donut. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.
Cool to room temperature.
To serve, fill the center hole generously with custard and top with a cherry.
take pleasure in!
Written and contributed by Francine Segan
For more information about Francine’s books, talks, and cooking classes, visit: www.FrancineSegan.com
