Honey Struffoli With Orange And Pignoli Food

STRUFFOLI

Steps:

• Break the eggs and whisk. Put eggs through a strainer to make sure they are mixed properly. Add sugar to eggs and mix immediately to prevent sugar from burning eggs. Bring butter to room temperature. Flake butter into the flour.
• Split vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds and add them to the sugar/egg mixture. Put mixture into a mixer and mix (using dough hook) and slowly add the flour. Let dough rest in a cool dry place.
• Roll out the dough into small quantities. Cut dough into 1/2-inch strips and cut 1/2-inch pieces from the strips. Place the 1/2-inch squares onto a baking pan.
• Put vegetable oil into a large pot and bring to 350 degrees. Fry small quantities of the dough squares in the oil and when golden brown, place onto a baking pan lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. When all dough is fried, let cool to room temperature.
• In a saucepan, heat the honey (not to a boil) and add small quantities of the fried dough to the pan. Stir lightly with a large slotted spoon. Remove from saucepan and place onto a serving plate and sprinkle with candy sprinkles.

PIGNOLI COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the almond paste and orange zest; pulse until fine crumbs form. With the motor running, slowly add the egg white and process until the dough comes together. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl with your fingers.)
• Put the pine nuts in a small bowl. Form tablespoonfuls of dough into balls with damp hands and roll in the pine nuts to coat completely. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until light golden around the edge, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

PIGNOLI COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Process the almond paste, confectioners' sugar and salt together in a food processor until crumbly. Add the egg whites and continue to process into a smooth dough.
• Roughly chop the pignolis and place them in a bowl. Roll tablespoon-sized pieces of the dough into balls, then roll in the chopped pignolis to loosely coat. Arrange on the prepared cookie sheets 3 inches apart. Bake 20 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool. Cookies will last about 2 weeks in an airtight container.

STRUFFOLI

Steps:

• For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.). In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small balls and fried as above).
• In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.
• Spray the outside of a small, straight-sided water glass with vegetable oil cooking spray and place in the center of a round platter. Using a large spoon or damp hands, arrange the struffoli and hazelnuts around the glass to form a wreath shape. Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar, if using. Remove the glass from the center of the platter and serve.

PIGNOLI COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment, beat the almond paste on high speed until it is really broken up. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on slow speed until well combined.
• Add the honey, cinnamon, salt, egg whites and lemon zest and beat on medium speed until the mixture is well combined and very thick, about 5 minutes.
• Fill a disposable pastry bag with the dough. Push the dough towards the tip and cut the tip off the bag. Pipe 1-inch balls onto the prepared sheet trays. Top with the pine nuts, pressing them into the dough to secure. Bake until the cookies are golden, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Pine nutty!