Cracked Sfogliatelle
What do you call it when you're attempting to make one thing and end up with something rather different, but just as good? Faux fail? Happy accident?
I'm calling this one Cracked Sfogliatelle. I was aiming for sfogliatelle frolle, a classic Neapolitan pastry filled with ricotta and semolina ~ not to be confused, by the way, with sfogliatelle ricce.
Let me back up a bit. There are two kinds of sfogliatelle in the grand world of Neapolitan pastry. The most famous, of course, is the sfogliatella riccia, composed of countless layers of papery strudel-like dough (made with lard), shaped into a cone, stuffed with a sweet ricotta and semolina filling, and baked until golden and impossibly flaky. Every Italian-American bakery sells them.
Sfogliatella frolla is sort of a cheater's version; the filling is essentially the same, but the dough is a simple pasta frolla, or short-crust pastry. Standard sfogliatelle frolle are about the size of your palm. These are my mini version. Why did they crack? Well, pasta frolla is pretty tender. My guess is that the filling puffed up as the pastries were baking, causing fissures in the dough before settling back down. When I posted a photo of them on Twitter, a follower likened them to those old-fashioned round leather coat buttons. I decided I liked them this way.
This recipe requires several steps: making the pasta frolla, draining ricotta for the filling, cooking then cooling semolina, mixing the filling, and assembling and baking the pastries. It helps to break up the work; I make the dough and the filling the day before I plan to assemble and bake the sfogliatelle. The filling for traditional sfogliatelle, whether ricce or frolle, contains finely chopped candied orange peel. I did not have any on hand, and I'm picky about candied fruit in general, so I substituted finely grated orange zest which, in my opinion, works just as well.
These pastries will last for a couple of days after baking, but they are at their absolute best fresh, served when they are still slightly warm, dusted with confectioners' sugar.
CRACKED SFOGLIATELLE
Makes about 20 mini sfogliatelle or 20 large
Ingredients
For the pastry:
2 cups (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (80 g) confectioners' (icing) sugar
1/2 teaspoon each finely grated fresh orange and lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of fine salt
10 1/2 tablespoons (150 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg
For the filling:
1 packed cup (250 g) fresh ricotta
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (250 g) whole milk
Pince of fine salt
5 1/2 tablespoons (75 g) semolina
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 drops fiori di Sicilia (see NOTES)
1 egg yolk
1 egg, for brushing
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
1. Make the pastry: Measure the flour, confectioners' sugar, orange zest, baking powder, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse briefly to combine. Distribute the butter around the bowl and pulse to break it up. Add the egg and pulse until the mixture starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and press it into a disk. Cover tightly with Bee's Wrap (see NOTES) or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
2. Make the filling: Place the ricotta in a cheesecloth- or paper towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and let it drain while you cook the semolina. Combine the milk and a pinch of salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and add the semolina in a slow stream, whisking all the while to avoid lumps. Return the pot to the stove and cook on medium to medium-low for a couple of minutes, until thickened. Scoop the semolina into a shallow bowl or dish, cover, and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Remove the drained ricotta from the cheesecloth or paper towel and return it to the sieve. Using a metal spoon, force the ricotta through the sieve into a bowl. This is tedious and will take a few minutes, but it gives the ricotta a desirable smooth texture.
4. Transfer the cooled semolina to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Spoon in half the sieved ricotta and mix on low until combined. Add the remaining ricotta, along with the sugar, orange zest, vanilla bean, cinnamon, fiori di Sicilia, and egg yolk, and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Transfer the filling to a tightly lidded container and refrigerate to firm up a bit.
5. To assemble and bake: Heat the oven to 350° F / 180° C. Spoon the chilled filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large (3/4-inch / 2 cm) round tip. Line two 11- by 17-inch (28- by 43-cm) rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside. Have a fluted pastry cutter and clean pastry brush on hand.
6. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and let it warm up slightly. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-inch-thick (6 mm) circle, lightly flouring the rolling pin and dough as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Use a 2 1/2-inch (6 cm) round cookie cutter to cut out small rounds. Place the rounds on one of the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more rounds (if the dough is too soft to work with, refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so and try again). You should end up with 20 to 25 rounds.
7. Working with one round at a time, use the rolling pin to stretch it gently into an oval about 4 inches by 3 inches, lightly flouring as needed. Pipe about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling into the center of the oval. Pull the top end over the bottom to encase the filling and form the sfogliatella. Carefully press around the edges with your fingers, then use the fluted pastry cutter to trim the excess dough. You want to cut as close to the filling as possible while still maintaining the seal. Brush off any excess flour with the pastry brush and place the sfogliatelle on the second prepared baking sheet. When you are done cutting out and forming all the sfogliatelle, divide them between the two baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes.
8. Just before baking, brush the surface of the sfogliatelle with beaten egg. Bake one sheet at a time for about 20 minutes, until set and golden. The pastries should form big cracks as they bake. Transfer the baking sheets to racks to cool until they are just warm. To serve, arrange the sfogliatelle on a platter and dust with confectioners' sugar.
NOTES: Fiori di Sicilia is a potent extract made from vanilla and citrus used often in Sicilian baking. You can find it online at King Arthur Flour.
Bee's Wrap is a reusable alternative to plastic wrap. It's not inexpensive but I've found it's worth the cost, as it has helped me substantially cut down on my use of plastic. You can read more about it and order it from the Bee's Wrap website.