Zeppole

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Crisp choux pastry puffs piped with vanilla pastry cream and crowned with a sour cherry and dusting of powdered sugar — the classic Italian treat for the Feast of Saint Joseph.

Prep

30 min

Cook

25 min

Total

55 min

Serves

8 (makes about 16 zeppole)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •250 ml (1 cup) whole milk
• •250 ml (1 cup) water
• •225 g (1 cup / 7 oz) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• •10 g (2 tsp) fine salt
• •5 g (1 tsp) granulated sugar, for the choux
• •150 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour, sifted
• •4 whole large eggs, room temperature, about 220 g
• •500 ml (2 cups) whole milk, for the pastry cream
• •1 whole vanilla bean, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• •6 whole large egg yolks
• •100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar, for the pastry cream
• •40 g (⅓ cup) cornstarch
• •20 g (1½ Tbsp) unsalted butter, cold, cubed, for the pastry cream
• •1 L (4 cups) neutral frying oil, peanut or sunflower; home kitchen substitute for traditional lard
• •16 whole sour cherries in syrup, amarena-style, well-drained
• •30 g (¼ cup) powdered sugar, for dusting

Steps

1. 1 Make the pastry cream: warm 500 ml milk with the split and scraped vanilla bean (and pod) until just steaming. In a bowl whisk 6 yolks, 100 g sugar and 40 g cornstarch until pale. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolks, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until it thickens and a brief simmer bubble breaks the surface (it must reach 82 °C / 180 °F to set the starch and yolks safely). Off the heat, whisk in 20 g cold butter. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and chill until completely cold, at least 2 hours.
2. 2 Make the choux: combine 250 ml milk, 250 ml water, 225 g butter, 10 g salt and 5 g sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Add all 150 g flour at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball that pulls away from the sides and a thin film forms on the pan bottom, about 2–3 minutes. Cook and stir another minute to dry the dough.
3. 3 Transfer the dough to a stand mixer (or keep in the pan) and beat on medium for 1 minute to release steam. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each, until the dough is glossy and falls from the spoon in a thick V-shape — it should slowly drop when lifted, not run. (You may not need the last egg; stop early if the dough is already pipeable.)
4. 4 Fit a large star piping tip (about 1 cm / ½ in) into a piping bag and fill with the choux. On parchment squares or a silicone mat, pipe rings about 7–8 cm / 3 in across, building up 2–3 layers in a spiral to make nests with a well in the middle for the cream. Wet a fingertip and press down any sharp peaks.
5. 5 Heat 1 L of oil in a deep heavy pot to 170 °C / 340 °F. Fry the nests in batches without crowding; they will sink then rise. Fry 3 minutes per side, or until deep golden and crisp. Maintain oil at 165–170 °C; if it drops, the zeppole will absorb too much oil. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack.
6. 6 Whisk the chilled pastry cream briefly to loosen, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip. Pipe a generous mound of cream into the center of each warm or cooled zeppola.
7. 7 Top each with a drained sour cherry, dust generously with powdered sugar, and serve within 1–2 hours so the choux stays crisp.