Baked zeppole, chestnut pancakes and the first homemade ice-cream of the season.

There is a very specific chaos of flavors that arrives in this end of February. It’s those transitional weeks where the air finally stops biting and starts flirting. It is a soft breeze that makes you want to leave your heavy coat at home (only to deeply regret it by 4:00 PM).

In Italy, March 19th it’s Father’s Day, or San Giuseppe. Some people are busy buying neckties, the smart ones are lining up at the pastry shop for Zeppole.

If you aren’t familiar, a Zeppola is a nest-shaped choux pastry. Traditionally, they are deep fried (though baking is the concession that can be made) and piped with a generous swirl of lemon-scented custard. They are finished with one or multiple candied wild cherries on top.

Here’s my gluten-free version, that I baked and filled with chocolate cream, because why not.

Ingredients

• 65g fine rice flour

• 85g corn starch (or potato starch)

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 pinch of salt

• 250g water

• 100g butter, cubed

• 220g eggs (approx. 4 small), beaten

How-to

1. In a saucepan, bring water, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil. Once the butter melts, pull it off the heat and dump in the flour and starch all at once. Stir vigorously until it forms a smooth ball.

2. Put the pan back on medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the butter begins to sizzle against the pan. Remove and let it cool.

3. Transfer the dough to a mixer. Adding a little at a time, whisk in the beaten eggs. Stop when the dough is shiny and hangs off your spoon in a triangular shape.

4. Pipe two overlapping circles of dough onto a baking sheet. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 15-20 minutes. Open the oven door for 2 seconds to vent steam, then lower the heat to 170°C (355°F) and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden and hollow.

5. Turn off the oven and let them dry inside with the door slightly open for 10 minutes.

For the filling (choose your mood):

• Classic: Lemon custard cream and candied sour cherries (amarene) on top.

• Remix: 70% Dark chocolate pastry cream (and any berries on top).

You can find here my recipe for pastry cream on the blog.

Since I’m still feeling a bit confused by the seasonal change, one recent morning I found myself making chestnut flour pancakes. I topped them with bitter radicchio and raw apples slice. And some melting gorgonzola cheese. It was earthy, moody, and exactly what I needed when the sky was that stubborn shade of February gray.

But on another afternoon, the sun hit the kitchen counter and I decided winter was over. I went digging through the freezer and found a bag of frozen apricots from last July. I had grand visions of baking dozens of cakes with them last summer, but let’s be honest: I didn’t. Instead, I tucked them into my Ninja Creami pot and covered them quickly with a syrup of honey, vanilla, and yuzu. Then freeze again. It was definitely the right way to kick off the return of homemade sorbets. Let me know if recipes for dairy-free ice creams made with the Ninja Creami could be of interest.

Talk to you soon,
Marta