Italian · Sicily

Sfinci di San Giuseppe (St Joseph's Day — Sicilian Tradition)

Sfinci di San Giuseppe — the cream-filled choux puffs of Sicily's St Joseph's Day celebration (March 19) — are one of the most delicious and culturally specific seasonal preparations in Italian pastry. St Joseph's Day in Sicily is celebrated with elaborate public displays of food ('St Joseph's tables') shared with the community, and sfinci are the centrepiece dessert. The preparation is a deep-fried choux dough enriched with orange zest and ricotta, formed into rough balls, fried until golden and puffed, then filled with sweetened ricotta cream and topped with candied orange peel and a glacé cherry. The interplay of the light, slightly crisp fried choux exterior and the dense, sweet ricotta cream is one of pastry's great textural pairings. Sfinci require confidence at the fryer — the oil temperature must be correct for the choux to puff.

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Serves4 (makes 8 sfinci)

Total120 min

Sourced1of 15 in BC

Cook

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The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

Pastry

250ml

water

Your own market

100g

unsalted butter

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sea salt

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caster sugar

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125g

all-purpose flour

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large egg

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Neutral oil

for frying

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Filling

350g

fresh ricotta

drained 30 minutes

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80g

honey

preferably Sicilian

Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →

60g

candied orange peel

finely diced

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

40g

dark chocolate

finely chopped

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20g

shelled pistachio nuts

roughly chopped

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

1/4 teaspoon

ground cinnamon

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Twist of sea salt

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Topping: 60g icing sugar mixed with 1g ground cinnamon

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Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

The Method

Combine water, butter, salt, and sugar in heavy saucepan; bring to rolling boil, then remove from heat and stir in flour until dough forms ball.

Return to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes to dry out dough; transfer to bowl, cool 5 minutes, then beat in egg until fully incorporated and dough is glossy.

Combine drained ricotta, honey, candied peel, chocolate, pistachio, cinnamon, and salt in separate bowl; mix gently with wooden spoon until just combined.

Heat 5cm oil in heavy pot to 175°C, checking with instant-read thermometer; line plate with paper towels.

Transfer warm choux dough to piping bag fitted with 12mm plain nozzle; pipe 6cm lengths directly into hot oil, using scissors or second spoon to cut dough cleanly.

Fry 3 minutes until golden and puffed, turning occasionally; remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Cool sfinci slightly, 2 minutes, then use small sharp knife to slit side of each and pipe or spoon ricotta filling into cavity; dust generously with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Serve warm or at room temperature; best eaten within 4 hours of preparation.

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The ricotta cream must be made from well-strained fresh sheep's milk ricotta — standard supermarket ricotta produces a liquid, disappointing filling For the most flavourful sfinci: add a teaspoon of orange blossom water to the choux paste and the ricotta cream — it gives a distinctly Sicilian aromatic quality Serve within 2 hours of filling — the fried exterior softens with time as the ricotta cream moistens it; serve fresh for the best textural contrast