Zeppole in que for March! San Giuseppe welcomes the spring!

Put on your "to bake" que, Zeppole di San Giuseppe, Saint Joseph's Day Cakes! Zeppole, a classic Italian pastry, is the perfect celebration of the Italian answer to St. Patrick's day Guinness! St. Joseph, the patron saint of family, is very special in Italian culture. All over the peninsula families gather to celebrate with neighbors and major city throw parties and parades. In fact, Saint Joseph's Day, March 19, the spring equinox, is one of the great Italian customs to travel across the pond and maintain a great presence amongst Italian Americans as well! So while you plans your Lenton splurges include a zeppole treat for "cultural" purposes of course!

(Makes about 12 (2-1/2-inch) zeppoles

Ingredients:

Pastry:

1 cup water

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup whole milk

2 egg yolks

1/2 tablespoon dark rum

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Maraschino cherries

Directions:

To make the pastry:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a

boil. Remove from heat. With a wooden spoon, beat in flour all at once.

Return to low heat. Continue beating until mixture forms a ball and leaves

side of pan. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating hard

after each addition until smooth. Continue beating until dough is satiny and

breaks in strands. Allow the mixture to cool.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a large star tip. For each pastry,

pipe a 2-1/2 -inch spiral with a raised outer wall on the baking sheet. Bake

for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool before

filling.

To make the filling:

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. In a bowl, whisk together

milk and egg yolks Whisk milk mixture into sugar mixture. Place the

saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking

constantly. Boil for 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in rum, orange zest,

and vanilla. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic

wrap directly on the surface. Allow to cool for 30 minutes and then

refrigerate until cold. Fold in the whipped cream.

To assemble the zeppole:

Cut the pastries in half horizontally. Transfer the filling mixture to a pastry

bag with a star tip. Pipe some of the filling onto the cut side of the bottom

half of each pastry. Place the top half of the pastry on the filling.

Pipe a small amount of the filling into the hole in the center of each pastry.

Place a maraschino cherry in the middle. Dust the pastries with

confectioners' sugar.

Recipe via www.mangiabenepasta.com

Image via courant.com