St. Joseph's Zeppole

Method

1. For the pastry cream: Heat the milk with the vanilla bean and lemon zest until almost boiling.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch.
3. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking, then return to low heat and cook, stirring, until thickened.
4. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. For the choux pastry: Sift the flour.
6. In a pot, bring the water, salt, and butter to a boil. When the water almost boils, add all the flour at once and stir vigorously until a smooth dough forms and a white film appears on the bottom.
7. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes until lukewarm.
8. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the dough is smooth and falls slowly in a ribbon.
9. Pipe the dough using a star nozzle (12 mm) into circles of 8 cm diameter on a buttered baking sheet.
10. Pre-bake in a static oven at 180°C for 10 minutes to form a crust.
11. Fry the zeppole in seed oil at 175°C, starting with the top side down. Do not touch for the first seconds, then turn repeatedly until golden brown.
12. Dust with powdered sugar and top with amarena cherries in syrup.