Feast Day Puffs Food

ST. JOSEPH'S DAY CREAM PUFFS / SFINGI DI SAN GIUSEPPE

Steps:

• For cream puffs: Combing butter, salt and water in a sauce pan.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Add flour all at one time, mixing well by hand (with a wooden spoon), until the dough forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan.
• Remove pan from heat, and let cool a little.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add sugar and grated lemon and orange peels, and mix thoroughly (dough should have a slight gloss or sheen to it).
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Line a large sheet (or jelly roll) pan with parchment.
• Attach a# 4 tip (large star tip) to a pastry bag.
• Fill the pastry bag with the dough, and squeezing the dough through the bag, form donut shaped circles on the parchment, be careful that you do not move the bag too quickly or the dough will be stretched too thin.
• The dough circles should be about 1 inch thick.
• Leave a 2-inch space between each circle.
• Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes, reduce heat to 325F and bake for 30 minutes more or until golden brown.
• Remove from oven, carefully cut a small slit horizontally into the side of each puff, place on a rack to cool.
• When completely cooled, carefully slice each puff in half horizontally (forming a top and a bottom).
• Filling: In a large bowl; cream the drained ricotta well, until very smooth.
• Add flavorings and stir to blend well.
• Add sugar and mix well, filling should be thick (stiff) enough to hold its shape, if it is not, add more sugar.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a# 4 tip (large star tip) with the ricotta mixture.
• Squeeze the filling on to the bottom half of each puff.
• Place cherries on top of the filling (spaced about 1/2 inch apart).
• Replace tops on the puffs, and gently press down just enough to press the cherries part way into the filling.
• Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until serving.
• Sfingi may be lightly dusted with a sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving (optional).
• Note: Sfingi are best served/eaten the day they are made, because once they are filled, the puffs can soften.
• The puffs may be made a day ahead, and filled before serving.
• The filling may be made a day ahead of serving and stored (covered) in the refrigerator.

PUFF PUFF

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until foamy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg and the remaining sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture once it's foamy. Combine, stirring with a wooden spoon, to incorporate all the ingredients into a smooth batter. The batter should be wet and slightly loose, similar to a yeasted waffle batter.
• Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and allow dough to double in size, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the spiced sugar: In a medium bowl, toss the sugar, nutmeg, allspice and cloves to combine; set aside.
• Pour 1 inch of oil into a large, deep skillet. Line a baking sheet with a rack or paper towels to absorb excess oil.
• Once the batter has doubled in size, heat the oil over medium-high to 350 degrees. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, working in batches to avoid crowding the skillet. Fry the puff puff, turning frequently until golden brown all over and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. (Be careful not to let the oil get too hot or the exteriors will become overly dark before the interiors are cooked through.) Move the puff puff to the rack or paper towels to drain and repeat the process until all the batter has been fried.
• Toss the puff puff in the spiced sugar to coat while still warm. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

DINNER IN A PUFF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cut puff pastry into 6 equal squares about 4 inches diagonally and 1/4-inch thick. Push each square into a muffin cup and gently press down. Place 1 tablespoon goat cheese into each pastry. Spoon 1 tablespoon avocado into 3 of the pastries and 1 tablespoon jam into the other 3 pastries.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bottoms are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Top the avocado puffs each with 1 slice sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle pine nuts over all the puffs.