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In Toronto, Andrea Mastrandrea creates the custardy Italian doughnut from his father's cherished recipe

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Behold the mouth-watering zeoppole di San Giuseppe, a seasonal Italian doughnut that is cloud-light, custardy, sweet and savoury, with Italian amarena cherries over top. These two are the work of Andrea Mastrandrea in Toronto.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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Andrea Mastrandrea works from his father Giuseppe's handwritten recipes. The zeppole dough is made from flour, lard, eggs, sugar, freshly grated orange zest and imported orange blossom oil.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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He scoops the dough into a pastry bag, and then pipes it into tidy rounds.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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Next, the dougnuts are par-baked and deep-fried in canola oil.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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At this point, they already look delicious. But there is much more to be done.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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Once they’ve cooled, Mr. Mastrandrea cuts them open and pipes in semolina cream: superfine flour mixed with water and simmered, like polenta, and then beaten until it looks like whipped cream.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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Finally, it's time for the cherries: sour ones packed into sweet cherry syrup, grown and packed in Italy and shipped in red and yellow tins. Mr. Mastrandrea drizzles his zeppole with the syrup too.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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And then it's a dusting of icing sugar for good measure.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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Ta da! Next step: Trying not to eat them all at once.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

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