St Joseph's Day Pastries

Side view of St Joseph's pastries topped with cherries and filled with pastry cream.

5 from 1 vote

Indulge in the sweet tradition of St. Joseph's Day with pastries that promise a moment of bliss in every bite—flaky pastry filled with vanilla custard/pastry cream. These are a must for Italian Father's Day!

Prep Time20

Cook Time6

Filling and Decorating30

Total Time56

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: pastries

Calories: 502kcal

Author: Marie

Equipment

Parchment paper I find this makes it easy to transfer the pastries to the hot oil
2 large piping bags
2 star tips To pipe the pastries and to pipe the filling (in a pinch, you can use a plastic storage bag with the corner snipped off)
deep fryer or large deep pot for frying may also bake instead of frying

Ingredients

For the Pastry Shells

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
Vegetable oil for frying

For the Vanilla Pastry Cream

2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
3.5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 small orange or lemon zest only (optional)
powdered sugar for topping
candied cherries or sour cherry preserves for topping (candied can be maraschino or more traditionally, Amareno cherries)

Instructions

Planning

These are best made within one hour of enjoying them. The dough and filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Plan to fry them within 4 hours and fill them within 1 hour of serving. The shells can be reheated (unfilled) for a few minutes at 350F to re-crisp.

Prepare

If you plan to fry, cut twelve to sixteen parchment paper squares (about 4 inches by 4 inches [~10 cm]) and set them aside.
Set two large piping bags with star tips inside large cups (one for the dough and the other for the topping/filling). This set-up will make it easier to fill the bags with the pastry dough and the filling later on.
If you will fry the shells, line a large plate with paper towels to store the zeppole after frying in the next step.

To Make the Dough

To make the dough, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and boil over medium heat.
Once boiling, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. This should take about 1-2 minutes or less.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes so the eggs don't scramble during the next step when you add them.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. I use a hand mixer for this. The dough should be smooth and shiny.

To Shape and Fry the Shells (see Note 1 if Baking Shells)

If you'd like to bake the shells, see Note 1 below.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
Pipe small rounds of dough (~2.5- to 3-inch circles) onto the parchment-paper-lined baking squares.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or deep fryer to 375°F (190°C).
Carefully transfer a few zeppole into the hot oil, with the parchment paper side up. The zeppole will easily detach from the paper as they fry.
Fry the the zeppole until golden brown and puffed up, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Turn them halfway through cooking to ensure even browning.
Remove the zeppole from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining zeppole.

To Make the Vanilla Pastry Cream and Fill or Top the Pastries

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch well and then add eggs and and mix well.
Warm milk and flavorings (vanilla with or without lemon/orange zest) in a small pot until small bubbles appear on the rim.
Pour about one third of hot milk slowly into egg mixture while whisking vigorously and then return the egg mixture to the pot with the milk.
Continue heating and whisking until thickened, about 2 minutes or more. Ensure to mix the sides and edges well or else it will burn.
Transfer to a bowl or plastic container and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a film from developing. Use when cooled.
You can either top each pastry with a large circle of cream or fill them and top them too. To fill, cut each pastry horizontally like a sandwich when cooled, and fill the center with pastry cream.
Top each with a small circle of pastry cream and a cherry or cherry preserves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Notes

Note 1 (To Bake instead of Fry):
Pipe pastries onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for 20 minutes.
Ensure they are golden brown before turning off the oven or they will deflate/fall.
Turn off the oven and let the puffs cool for 5 to 10 minutes with the oven door ajar.

Nutrition: The estimated calories per pastry decrease by ~150 if you bake instead of fry.

Total Time: Remember that total frying time will be longer since you will probably have to fry these in batches (6 minutes is the estimate for each batch, which is most likely three maximum).

Make Ahead: Dough and filling may be made one day ahead and refrigerated; Do not fill until 1 hour before serving. Do not fry until about 4 hours before serving.

Nutrition