These are one of the few dessert recipes of Lazio.
The origin of this dessert refers to the Liberalia celebrations. These Roman festivities paid homage to the Gods who were dispensers of wine and wheat, and in rural locations, such as Lavinio, they lasted throughout the month of March. Sixteen-year-olds guys were celebrated and could wear the “toga virilis” for their first time and had therefore entered adulthood. During these festivities, rivers of wine were drunk, and wheat pancakes cooked in boiling lard were also served.
I love these caloric treats because they are the first sign of the upcoming spring as they are made for Father’s Day on March 19th. They should be eaten with caution because, even if they are really good, they are also of a biblical heaviness.
I got the recipe for this puff pastry from the blog of one of my baking masters: Paola Sersante.

Saint Joseph's cream puffs

  • Preparation time: 40 minutes
  • Ingredients for 10 large puffs
  • Difficulty: Difficult recipe

  • Ingredients
  • For the puffs:
  • 35 gr or 1 ½ oz of lard
  • 125 gr or 4 ½ oz of water
  • 125 gr or 4 ½ oz of pastry flour
  • 4 eggs
  • A pinch of salt
  • For the cream custard:
  • 250 gr or 1 cup of whole milk
  • 75 gr or 3 oz of sugar
  • 3 yolks
  • 25 gr 1 oz of pastry flour
  • Peeled zest of a lemon
  • Peanut oil for frying to taste
  • Icing sugar to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Prepare the custard.
  3. Boil the milk with the lemon peel in a small saucepan. In another small saucepan, beat the egg yolks with the sugar then add the flour. Add the boiling milk. Cook on a gentle heat until the cream thickens, continuing to turn with a whisk.
  4. When the cream is ready, place the saucepan inside a pan full of ice to cool the cream quickly.
  5. Prepare the puffs.
  6. Boil water, lard, and salt in a saucepan. Add the sifted flour. Continue cooking over low heat for a few minutes until the mixture is firm and comes away from the sides of the saucepan. Allow the mixture to cool and then add one egg at a time, mixing well. The dough is ready when it slowly descends from the whisk and forms a ribbon. If necessary, add another egg.
  7. With a sac a poche form puffs on sheets of parchment paper cut into 10 cm or 3 15⁄16inch squares.
  8. Cook in a hot oven at 350°F for about fifteen minutes.
  9. Take them out of the oven and fry them in oil with all the parchment paper, which can be removed as soon as it comes away well from the puff. Drain on absorbent paper and allow to cool.
  10. When the cream puffs are warm, you can fill them with custard.
  11. Serve with a sprinkling of sieved icing sugar.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • To form the choux pastry correctly, it is important to cook the mixture with water/fat and flour. It is also important to insert one egg at a time. It does sometimes happen that the dough does not require all the eggs in the recipe otherwise it would be too liquid. Also for this reason, one egg is inserted at a time and mixed well before inserting the next one.
  • Before baking and frying the puffs leave them in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes.
  • It would be advisable to bake a few cream puffs at a time and in succession so as not to lower the oil temperature too much.