In Toronto, Andrea Mastrandrea creates the custardy Italian doughnut from his father's cherished recipe
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
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
He scoops the dough into a pastry bag, and then pipes it into tidy rounds.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail
Next, the dougnuts are par-baked and deep-fried in canola oil.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail
At this point, they already look delicious. But there is much more to be done.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail
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
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
And then it's a dusting of icing sugar for good measure.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail
Ta da! Next step: Trying not to eat them all at once.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail