Baked Zeppole di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Pastries)

Delicious, light and soft, topped with a little dome of custard cream and crowned with syrupy sour cherries, like the "cherry on top"... or rather... "the sour cherry on the zeppola".

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY:

• 120 g water
• 100 g eggs (2 medium eggs)
• 75 g plain flour (type 00)
• 60 g butter

• • 1 pinch of salt

ALSO NEEDED:

• 350 g custard cream (crema pasticciera)
• syrupy sour cherries (amarene)
• icing sugar
  
  Baked zeppole di San Giuseppe are a lighter version of the traditional fried zeppole. In both cases, these are pastries made with choux dough, typically prepared to honour 19th March, the day dedicated to Father's Day and to San Giuseppe (St. Joseph), patron saint of carpenters and also of fried-food makers. In Naples, on the day dedicated to their patron saint, these delightful fritters have been made since time immemorial. The origin of zeppole is ancient, with the first recorded recipe for zeppole di San Giuseppe attributed to Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duke of Buonvicino, a Neapolitan, in his book "Cucina teorico pratica" ("Practical Theoretical Cooking") of 1837. The zeppole dough is a delicate choux pastry, with a higher butter and egg content than the fried version, since baking tends to dry out the dough more. The zeppole are then decorated with custard cream and sour cherries. Zeppole season coincides with Carnival, a time when fritters and fried sweets in general are especially loved, such as castagnole, tortelli and chiacchiere (crisp fried pastry ribbons), the latter now also available in a lighter baked version. Many of these traditional sweets, including zeppole di San Giuseppe, are decorated with custard cream, but only the zeppole take on that distinctive coiled shape, reminiscent of a little curled-up serpent. Indeed, it seems their name derives from "serpula" (from the Latin "serpe", meaning snake). Other fritters vaguely resemble zeppole, such as Strauben, a South Tyrolean speciality shaped like a snail shell, flavoured with grappa. HOW TO MAKE: BAKED ZEPPOLE DI SAN GIUSEPPE1To make the baked zeppole di San Giuseppe, first prepare the choux pastry: in a saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to the boil. Off the heat, add the sifted flour all at once and mix with a whisk. 2Put the pan back on the heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, to dry out the mixture. When a thin white film appears on the bottom of the pan and the dough begins to sizzle, pulling away from the sides, it is ready. Let it cool slightly. Transfer everything to a stand mixer (or use an electric whisk) fitted with the paddle attachment and add the eggs one at a time, waiting until the first is fully incorporated before adding the next (it's best to beat them beforehand in a separate small bowl, so you can use just the right amount depending on the consistency of the dough). 3Once you have a smooth, glossy, sticky mixture that falls in a ribbon, fill a piping bag fitted with a 15 mm star-shaped nozzle. On a baking tray lined with baking paper, pipe rings of dough, spacing them well apart as they will rise and puff up during baking. 4Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180°C and continue baking for around 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Transfer the custard cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe it over the zeppole, which you will have dusted with icing sugar. Finish by garnishing with the sour cherries.