AUTHENTIC TUSCAN BEAN SOUP RECIPES

Steps:

• To prepare the Saint Joseph doughnuts, you need to create the pastry cream first. Heat the milk in a saucepan, adding a half vanilla bean, together with its seeds.
• Whisk the eggs yolk and sugar in a bowl, then add the flour.
• Remove the vanilla bean from the milk using pliers, then pour the warm milk over the eggs yolk mix, then start whisking.
• Put the mixture back on the stove and stir it constantly, until the cream has thickened.
• Transfer the custard to a bowl and let it cool keeping it covered with a foil.
• For the dough, place the butter cut into small pieces in a thick-bottomed saucepan, and pour the water. Add salt and bring slowly to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon.
• As soon as the butter has melted and the water starts to boil, remove the saucepan from heat and pour flour inside, using a sifter.
• Put the saucepan back on the stove and start mixing with a whisk, then continue stirring with a wooden spoon, to obtain a compact ball.
• Keep rolling the mixture until you see a white patina formed on the bottom of the saucepan (it will take around 10 minutes).
• Turn off the heat and add the sugar, stir well to incorporate it into the mixture, then pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool.
• Once cooled, transfer the dough in a bowl and add the grated lemon peel and the eggs, one at a time, adding the next egg only when the former is fully absorbed.
• Eventually, you will get a smooth and homogeneous composition. Transfer it to a pastry bag with a starry nozzle.
• Cut 8 square sheet pans of about 8 cm (3.14 inches) and squeeze over each of them a dough disk, in a spiral, with a 5 cm diameter (1.96 inches).
• On the outer edge of each disk. overlay an extra dough "ring", so that you create something resembling a ball with two layers.
• Repeat the process for the rest of the 7 doughnuts or so, until the mixture is finished.
• In a deep saucepan, place the oil to fry, at a temperature between 160 °C and 170 °C (350-375 F). Don't let the oil boil, as you need to be frying the doughnuts gently, turning them upside down several times, so that they are fried evenly.
• When the oil has reached the ideal temperature, immerse no more than 1-2 doughnuts, with the parchment paper you placed them on, as it will peel off by itself after a few seconds and you can remove them from the oil with kitchen pliers.
• Stir the doughnuts several times in hot oil until golden brown, then drain them with a skimmer. Use towels to remove the excess oil.
• When you have fried all the doughnuts, squeeze the custard in a pastry bag with a starry nozzle right at the center of the doughnuts.
• Garnish them with cherry syrup, or a candied cherry on top of the cream.
• Transfer them on a plate and enjoy the Zeppole di San Giuseppe!

Steps:

• To prepare the Saint Joseph doughnuts, you need to create the pastry cream first. Heat the milk in a saucepan, adding a half vanilla bean, together with its seeds.
• Whisk the eggs yolk and sugar in a bowl, then add the flour.
• Remove the vanilla bean from the milk using pliers, then pour the warm milk over the eggs yolk mix, then start whisking.
• Put the mixture back on the stove and stir it constantly, until the cream has thickened.
• Transfer the custard to a bowl and let it cool keeping it covered with a foil.
• For the dough, place the butter cut into small pieces in a thick-bottomed saucepan, and pour the water. Add salt and bring slowly to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon.
• As soon as the butter has melted and the water starts to boil, remove the saucepan from heat and pour flour inside, using a sifter.
• Put the saucepan back on the stove and start mixing with a whisk, then continue stirring with a wooden spoon, to obtain a compact ball.
• Keep rolling the mixture until you see a white patina formed on the bottom of the saucepan (it will take around 10 minutes).
• Turn off the heat and add the sugar, stir well to incorporate it into the mixture, then pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool.
• Once cooled, transfer the dough in a bowl and add the grated lemon peel and the eggs, one at a time, adding the next egg only when the former is fully absorbed.
• Eventually, you will get a smooth and homogeneous composition. Transfer it to a pastry bag with a starry nozzle.
• Cut 8 square sheet pans of about 8 cm (3.14 inches) and squeeze over each of them a dough disk, in a spiral, with a 5 cm diameter (1.96 inches).
• On the outer edge of each disk. overlay an extra dough "ring", so that you create something resembling a ball with two layers.
• Repeat the process for the rest of the 7 doughnuts or so, until the mixture is finished.
• In a deep saucepan, place the oil to fry, at a temperature between 160 °C and 170 °C (350-375 F). Don't let the oil boil, as you need to be frying the doughnuts gently, turning them upside down several times, so that they are fried evenly.
• When the oil has reached the ideal temperature, immerse no more than 1-2 doughnuts, with the parchment paper you placed them on, as it will peel off by itself after a few seconds and you can remove them from the oil with kitchen pliers.
• Stir the doughnuts several times in hot oil until golden brown, then drain them with a skimmer. Use towels to remove the excess oil.
• When you have fried all the doughnuts, squeeze the custard in a pastry bag with a starry nozzle right at the center of the doughnuts.
• Garnish them with cherry syrup, or a candied cherry on top of the cream.
• Transfer them on a plate and enjoy the Zeppole di San Giuseppe!