Zeppole Di San Giuseppe

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 lemon – zest peeled in 2 wide strips
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• 0.25 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 cup water
• 0.5 cup whole milk
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 0.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• powdered sugar – for dusting (for garnish)
• amarena cherries in syrup – for topping; 1 per zeppola (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, heat 2 cups whole milk with the lemon zest strips over medium heat until steaming and just starting to bubble at the edges; remove from heat, cover, and let infuse 10 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until pale and thick, 1–2 minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch until smooth with no lumps.
3. Remove and discard the lemon zest from the warm milk. Whisking constantly, slowly stream the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it comes to a gentle boil and thickens to a glossy pudding, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
4. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a shallow dish. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and chill until cold and set, 1–2 hours.
5. Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a large open star tip (about 1/2 inch/12–14 mm).
6. Start the choux paste: In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup whole milk, the unsalted butter, and kosher salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
7. Add the flour all at once, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a smooth ball, 1–2 minutes. Continue cooking and stirring to dry the dough slightly until a thin film forms on the pan, 1–2 minutes more.
8. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and let cool 5 minutes until warm to the touch. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next, until the paste is smooth, glossy, and falls from the spatula in a thick V-shaped ribbon, 2–4 minutes.
9. Pipe the zeppole: Spoon the paste into the prepared piping bag. Pipe 12 rings, each 2 1/2–3 inches wide, leaving space between. Pipe a second ring on top of each to build height.
10. Bake 10 minutes at 400°F. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake 20–25 minutes more until deeply golden, well puffed, and light when lifted. Turn off the oven; pierce each puff at the side with a skewer or make a small slit to vent steam, then return to the turned-off oven for 5–10 minutes to dry. Cool completely on racks.
11. Fill and finish: Whisk the chilled pastry cream to loosen and transfer it to a clean piping bag fitted with a star or round tip. Split each zeppola horizontally with a serrated knife (or leave whole and fill the center well). Pipe pastry cream inside, cap with the top, then pipe a decorative rosette of cream on top.
12. Dust generously with powdered sugar and top each zeppola with an amarena cherry and a little of its syrup. Serve the same day for best texture.