St Joseph Pastries Zeppole di San Giuseppe

St Joseph Pastries (Zeppole di San Giuseppe)

St Joseph Pastries (Zeppole di San Giuseppe)

45 minutes

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Details
  • Serving Size:   12
  • Vegetarian:   True
  • Weight Watchers:   11 Points
Cuisine
  • side dish
Comments
Ingredients
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1/2 c granulated sugar
  • 1 c water
  • 1 c all-purpose flour
  • 4 extra-large eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 c whole milk
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Lemon zest from 1 lemon
  • Confectioners sugar
  • Pitted cherries (either sour or maraschino)
Instructions

Crema Pasticcera (Pastry Cream)

In a pot over low heat, warm up the milk and vanilla until it starts to steam.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then add the cornstarch and whisk again until smooth.

Once the milk has warmed up, add about ½ c of the milk to the egg mixture while constantly whisking. This will temper the eggs, so you don’t wind up with scrambled eggs.

Increase the heat on the stove to low-medium and add the egg mixture and lemon zest to the milk, whisking continuously. After a few minutes, the crema pasticcera will thicken up to a thick custard-like consistency.

Remove from heat, place in a bowl, and let cool on the counter for a few minutes.

Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, cover it with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the cream. This will prevent it from forming a crust.

Place in the refrigerator to cool further.

Choux Pastry Dough

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a pot over medium heat, bring butter, sugar, and water to a rolling boil.

Next, add all of the flour at once and vigorously stir until it forms a ball.

Remove pot from the heat and add eggs one at a time then stirring until each egg is thoroughly incorporated. By the third or fourth egg, you may want to switch to a whisk.

Whisk until it reaches a consistency like a thick icing (not like a bread dough at all!).

Let cool a few minutes.

Prepare a baking sheet lined with either a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Place pastry dough in a piping bag with a star tip (or a ziploc bag with a small piece of corner cut off).

Pipe dough into circles measuring about 4 inches in diameter, working from the inside out, then make a second layer on top of the first, but leave a hole in the center of the second layer (this is where the pastry cream will be added later). Make sure to leave a few inches between each one, as they will puff up a bit while baking.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the dough turns a light golden brown. When lightly pressed with a finger, the zeppole will have slightly spongy feel, like a doughnut.

Let cool on the counter.

Putting It All Together

Once the zeppole have cooled, remove the crema pasticcera from the fridge and place in a piping bag with a star tip (or a ziploc bag with a small piece of corner cut off).

Pipe the cream into the center of each zeppole and continue around, making a circle of cream, then back to the middle for a tall center.

Lightly dust with powdered sugar and top with a cherry.

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