When celebrating St.Joseph’s Day in Little Rhody,feasting on Italian pastry, specifically the zeppole, is a tradition that is not taken lightly.Throughout the state, people from all over look forward to this time of year for the celebration of the Italian heritage, and for many, to savor the scrumptious Italian zeppole, which can be found in bakeries across Little Rhody. You may have discovered your favorite baker for these Italian pastries, as you sampled them from different patisseries throughout the years. If that’s the case, you may already have a preference that you will never abandon. For what I would refer to as beginners, in the search for the best zeppole, my suggestion would be to try different ones from a variety of bakeries, and with a variety of fillings. There’s no doubt by sampling, you will happen upon your own personal, perfect choice, one that satisfies every single one of your taste buds.
For those who prefer true homemade bakery pastries, there are many recipes online,to create your perfect delicious zeppole,right in your own kitchen. Below you will find my own recipe if you want to give it a try.
St Joseph’s Day in 2025,falls on Monday, March 17th. This could be to your benefit, as it may provide extra time to bake your own zeppoles over the weekend,to share with loved ones right on St. Joseph’s Day.
***Be sure to check out the best way to store the zeppoles you bake if they are not going to be enjoyed immediately. You wouldn’t want to share ones that are soggy or stale.
Below are recipes for three versions of the Italian zeppole. All fillings can be used for the same pastry recipe.
Ingredients for the ZEPPOLE PASTRY
- 3 eggs medium
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅝ cup sugar
- 1 lemon peel grated
- 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup flour
- 1 pinch fine salt
- Confectioners sugar for sprinkling on finished zeppoles
GARNISH
- cherries in syrup
***Use peanut oil, as needed, to fry the pastry shells.
Directions to create the ZEPPOLE PASTRIES:
- For the dough, place the butter cut into small pieces in a thick-bottomed saucepan, and pour the water.
- Add salt and bring slowly to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon.
- As soon as the butter has melted and the water starts to boil, remove the saucepan from heat and pour flour inside, using a sifter.
- Put the saucepan back on the stove and start mixing with a whisk, then continue stirring with a wooden spoon, to obtain a compact ball.
- Keep rolling the mixture until you see a white patina formed on the bottom of the saucepan (it will take around 10 minutes).
- Turn off the heat and add the sugar, stir well to incorporate it into the mixture, then pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool.
- Once cooled, transfer the dough in a bowl and add the grated lemon peel and the eggs, one at a time, adding the next egg only when the former is fully absorbed.
- Eventually, you will get a smooth and homogeneous composition. Transfer it to a pastry bag with a starry nozzle.
- Cut 8 square sheet pans and squeeze over each of them a dough disk, in a spiral.
- On the outer edge of each disk. overlay an extra dough “ring,” so that you create something resembling a ball with two layers.
- Repeat the process for the rest of the 7 pastries, until the mixture is finished.
- In a deep saucepan, place the oil to fry, at a temperature between
350-375 F.
- Don’t let the oil boil, as you need to fry the pastry gently, turning them upside down several times, so that they are fried evenly.
- When the oil has reached the ideal temperature, immerse no more than 1-2 pastries with the parchment paper you placed them on, as it will peel off by itself after a few seconds and you can remove them from the oil with kitchen pliers.
- Stir the doughnuts several times in hot oil until golden brown, then drain them with a skimmer. Use paper towels to remove the excess oil.
- When you have fried all the doughnuts, squeeze the custard in a pastry bag with a starry nozzle right at the center of the doughnuts.
- Garnish them with cherry syrup, or a candied cherry on top of the cream and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
- Transfer them on a plate and enjoy!
***Use the above recipe for the pastry doughnut…
Recipes for 3 different zeppole pastry fillings…
To prepare the Saint Joseph pastry, you need to create a pastry filling first.
Ingredients for the Original Pastry Custard Cream:
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp. flour
- 1 vanilla bean
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
Prepare the Original Custard Cream Filling:
- Heat the milk in a saucepan, adding a half vanilla bean, together with its seeds.
- Whisk the egg yolk and sugar in a bowl, then add the flour.
- Remove the vanilla bean from the milk using pliers, then pour the warm milk over the egg yolk mix, then start whisking.
- Put the mixture back on the stove and stir it constantly, until the cream has thickened.
- Transfer the custard to a bowl and let it cool, keeping it covered with a foil.
Ingredients for RICOTTA filling:
- 2 pounds of ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 12 Maraschino cherries
Prepare the RICOTTA filling:
- Mix ricotta, sugar and vanilla extract in another mixing bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add chocolate chips and mix for 10 seconds.
- Put cream in a pastry bag and fill the center of each zeppole.
- Press the top of the pastry onto the bottom.
Ingredients for the CHOCOLATE filling:
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 ounces sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ ounce unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup whole milk
Prepare the CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM FILLING:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar, until combined.
- Then whisk in flour, vanilla and cocoa powder, until thoroughly combined flour.
- Set aside.
- Add milk to a small saucepan and bring to just a boil.
- Remove milk from heat.
- While whisking the egg mixture constantly, slowly pour in the milk, whisking to incorporate.
- Once the milk and egg mixture have been thoroughly combined, return mixture to small saucepan and return to stove.
- Heat mixture on medium-high, until the pastry cream thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl then cover with a plastic wrap (be sure that the wrap touches the cream directly so a skin doesn’t form on the surface).
- Set in the refrigerator to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Sprinkle finished zeppoles with powdered sugar, and place a cherry on top of each pastry!.
