Honey Zeppole
They aren’t perfect spheres, but they still look good.
Time:1 Hour
Ingredient Availability: 4/5
Difficulty: 5/5
I’m probably just like you when it comes to your knowledge of Zeppole. Before seeing it in this book, I had never seen or heard of it before. It sure looks interesting, though. Plus, incorporating some cheese into a fried bread type confection just sounds like it should be delicious. Let’s see how it turns out.
Key Ingredients and Omissions:
The only Ingredient that you probably will have a hard time is the Robiola cheese. Thankfully, the recipe provides a substitute in whipped cream cheese. I decided to go ahead and use some pistachios to sprinkle over the finished Zeppole, since I already had some. Nothing was left out of the recipe.
Tools:
Frying Vessle
Stand Mixer (or hand mixer)
Ice Cream Scoop and/or spoons
Cooking Review:
Chopping Pistachios: 5 minutes
If you’re not using pistachios, this step is obviously optional. I decided to get it out of the way at the beginning.
Batter: 9 minutes
To make the batter, I added all of the ingredients for it, except for the flour and baking powder, to the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mixed on speed 9 for about 2 minutes. I added the flour and baking powder and mixed it for another 3 minutes until everything was well combined.
Honey Syrup: 10 minutes
I only had about 3/4 cup of honey instead of the total cup. The honey I did have was added to a small saucepan with some salt and cinnamon sticks over medium high heat. Once the honey had started to boil, which can happen quite suddenly and quickly, I removed it from the heat and stirred in two tablespoons of water.
Frying: 30 minutes
After waiting for my vegetable oil to come to temperature, which took about 10 minutes, I used an Ice cream scoop and spoon to scoop the batter into the oil. I ended up cooking 4 batches of 5-6 balls. Each batch took 4-5 minutes, flipping occasionally to get even browning. Once each batch was removed from the oil, I transferred them to a bowl and tossed in some of the honey syrup. When all of them were done, I sprinkled the pistachios over top. I think I should have done this after each batch to get more even coverage of nuts.
Analysis:
The first thing you’ll notice about these is just how incredibly soft and fluffy they are. You might think that the very outside would be crispy, but it really isn’t. While there are some crisp bits here and there from irregularities in the surface, the Zeppole are very soft, similar to a dinner roll. The honey coating has a nice flavor, which balances nicely with the moist and tender interior of the balls. I think the sweetness level is perfect. Speaking of the interior, it doesn’t really have much flavor on its own. It really is more about the soft and fluffy texture than the flavor when it comes to the insides. One thing I should point out is that some of the larger balls that I made were a little undercooked on the very inside, so you should make yours a little smaller than mine so that all of them are cooked though. Overall, these kind of remind me of a big moist pancake ball. The honey syrup does most of the heavy lifting on the flavor side, like with most pancakes. Finally, the pistachios are nice here and there. I think if I had more it would be even better, as they add a little crunch and saltiness. I’m going to give this recipe a 8/10. I think if the interior had a more pronounced flavor, perhaps of a tangy cheese, it would really stand out. Despite this, it is still a very good and unique dessert. I don’t think you’d regret making it.
