Description
A stunning Neapolitan pastry with a crackly, multi‑layered shell and a rich ricotta‑semolina filling scented with citrus and cinnamon—an authentic Italian dessert well worth the effort.
Ingredients
For the dough:
500 g bread flour (high-protein)
190 g water
1 Tbsp honey
1¼ tsp salt
For laminating:
60 g unsalted butter
150 g lard or shortening
For the filling:
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
⅔ cup semolina flour or fine cream of wheat
1½ cups (375 g) whole‑milk ricotta, drained
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds from 1 vanilla pod)
½ tsp ground cinnamon (or cinnamon oil)
¼ cup finely chopped candied orange peel
Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
Make the filling: Bring milk and sugar to a simmer, then whisk in semolina. Cook 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in ricotta until creamy. Once cooled slightly, beat in egg yolks, vanilla, cinnamon, orange peel, and lemon zest. Cover and chill.
Make the dough: Combine flour and salt; stir in water and honey to form a very dry dough. Knead briefly until cohesive. Wrap and let rest at room temp for ~30 min, then refrigerate for at least 2 hr (or overnight).
Laminate the dough: In a stand mixer or by hand, beat butter and lard until soft. Divide chilled dough into strips, roll through pasta machine starting at widest setting, folding and turning between passes until very smooth and thin. For each strip: stretch, brush liberally with fat, and roll tightly into a cylinder. Stack strips overlapping as needed. Wrap and chill again for at least 2 hr.
Form pastries: Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Slice chilled log into ~½ inch thick discs. Flatten each into a cone shape using your thumbs, forming a shell. Fill with the chilled semolina‑ricotta mixture, leaving top slightly open.
Bake: Place filled shells on a parchment‑lined baking sheet. Bake 20–25 minutes until deep golden and shell edges crisp and flaked. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
- Prep Time: 1 hr 30 min
- Chill Time:: 4–6 hrs
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast