International Recipes
St. Joseph's Day Cream Puffs
(Sfingi Di San Giuseppe)
Italian pastries are not real sweet like most American pastries, but the flavor is exceptionally good.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup butter
- Dash of salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cake flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Ricotta Filling
- 1 pound ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon candied orange peel, cut fine
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (add more if you like)
Pasticciera Cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Dough: Combine butter, salt and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add flour
all at once and mix well until dough leaves sides of pan. Remove from stove and
cool. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add sugar, orange
and lemon peel and mix thoroughly. Drop by tablespoonful onto a greased baking sheet,
leaving 3-inch space between.
- Bake in 400 degrees F oven for 10 minutes; reduce heat
to 325 degrees F and bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Make a slit in the side of each and fill with the Pasticciera Cream or with Ricotta
Filling.
- Ricotta Filling: Cream ricotta well; add chocolate chips, orange peel and sugar.
Mix well. Fill Italian cream puffs with the filling.
- Pasticciera Cream: Place sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon rind and vanilla extract
in saucepan and mix together well.
- Scald milk and pour over mixture, beating constantly with rotary beater. Continue
cooking on low heat, stirring with wooden spoon until mixture reaches the boiling
point. Cook 4 minutes longer stirring constantly. Remove from stove and add butter
and mix well.
- Pour into bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent skin
from forming over top.
- Fill the Italian Cream Puffs.
Makes 16 puffs.