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Ingredients
For custard/crema pasticciera:
- 4 1/4 cups whole milk (1 liter)
- 2 cups sugar (400 grams)
- 8 egg yolks (large)
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour(150 grams)
- 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of a lemon
- Pinch of salt
For Zeppole:
- 2 cups of flour (250 grams)
- 2 cups of water(480 ml)
- 1 3/4 sticks of butter (7 ounces) (200 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 8 to 9 large eggs
- 6 to 8 cups of frying oil
- Star tip JEM size 3M or Ateco size 829
For Morello Amarene cherries:
- 1 1/2 cups of Morello cherries drained
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
For Dusting:
- Confectioners sugar
Instructions
For making custard cream:
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In a medium saucepan add your sugar and egg yolks and whisk until light and frothy. Now add flour and whisk. If the mixture is thick slowly add a little milk and keep mixing.
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Once you have added all the milk add the lemon peel and count how many pieces because you’ll remove them later.
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Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add in the mixture.
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Move on a medium heat and stirring clockwise cook until thickens. About 8 to 12 minutes. Move to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching top of the custard.
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Refrigerate until completely cold. Making it the day before is best.
For making Zeppole:
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In a medium saucepan add butter, salt and water, bring it to a boil.
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Lower heat and add flour, stir to form a ball and keep stirring about 1 to 2 minutes on low heat.
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Remove from heat and place in an heat resistant bowl.
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Once cooled but not completely cold add your egg one at a time and stir until well incorporated.
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Add the first 8 eggs and check if the dough is sticky and forms ribbons. If it doesn’t, add one more egg. Check dough consistency again.
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Using a large star tip, pipe a circle on a 5 in. by 5 in. parchment paper square.
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In a deep pan heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius) add the zeppole a few at a time because they will double in size. The paper will detach and needs to be removed.
flip zeppole to fry evenly Lower heat and continue frying until golden. Higher the heat before adding next batch.
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Drain on a paper towel. Cool completely before adding custard.
For making Morello/Amarene:
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Drain the cherries and measure in a measuring cup.
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Now use the same amount of sugar to the cherries.
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Add lemon and on medium heat bring to a boil. Skim top if foam forms. Boil for about 10 minutes. Store in a sterilized canning jar.
To assemble and bring everything together:
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In a large piping bag with star tip add your custard. Pipe in the center of zeppole and a circle on top. Decorate with a cherry and dust with confectioners sugar.
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Buona festa di San Giuseppe! Enjoy!
