Pastry for Italian Father's Day: Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Ingredients
For the Custard

• 4 cups milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp All Purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Zest of 1 orange

For the Zeppole/Donut

• 6 Eggs (whole)
• 2 Cups All Purpose flour
• 1 - 3/4 cups Water
• 4 oz. Butter
• 1/2 Cup - Sugar
• Canola Oil for frying
• Blueberries, raspberries or candied cherries for decoration
• Powdered sugar for dusting

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Directions
Custard Cream

1. Mix the flour and sugar in a pot and whisk until blended. Turn on the heat to medium.
2. Under medium heat, add the milk and whisk well.
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and then whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs to warm them a little bit.
4. Lower the heat to low, then add the eggs into the mixture, whisking continuously as it starts to thicken.
5. Add the vanilla and orange zest and stir continuously until the custard thickens.
6. Allow the cream to cool before piping into the center of each cooled zeppola.

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Zeppole

1. In a medium sized pan on medium heat, add the water and butter. Stir until the butter melts.
2. While stirring with a wooden spoon, slowly add the flour, letting it absorb the liquid until you obtain a firm ball. Mix the dough for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place the dough ball into the bowl of a stand mixer and while mixing at low speed with a paddle, add the sugar, completely incorporating it into the dough.
4. Stop the mixer and let the dough cool off in the bowl for 15 minutes.
5. When the dough is completely cooled off, with the mixer on low speed, and add one egg at a time until each egg is completely absorbed by the dough. The resulting batter should be very soft.
6. Heat the canola oil in a deep fryer or large sauce pot (at least 3" deep) to a temperature of about 325 F degrees.
7. Cut several 4x4" squares of 4x4 of parchment paper (or foil will also work).
8. Place your dough into a large pastry bag with a large sized star tip and pipe out a 3-4" circular donut with a hole in the middle onto each piece of parchment.
9. While the zeppola is still on the paper, gently place it into the hot oil. Put no more than 2 at a time to prevent over-crowding and lowering the temperature of the oil too fast. The paper will quickly separate from the zeppola and you will be able to remove it with tongs.
   
10. Using a fry spider or large spoon with holes or slots in it, turn the zeppole several times until golden brown on both sides.
11. Remove the zeppole from the oil with the spider, and place on a plate lined with paper towels or brown paper to drain excess oil. Let the donuts cool when all are finished, then place on a serving tray ready for filling.
12. Put the cream in the pastry bag and fill the hollow center of each zeppola, mounding the custard higher than the donut.  Garnish with berries and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve for breakfast with some espresso or cappuccino  or have them for dessert with a glass of Prosecco...

Buon appetito!

--Jerry Finzi

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