"Cheat" Sfingi di San Giuseppe
Sfinci al Forno·(sfeen-chee ahl for-no)
Hyphenated Holidays: Sicilian-American Gatherings
If you grew up in a Sicilian-American house, St. Joseph's Day meant one thing: Sfingi. The genuine, Palermo-style article is a magnificent, fist-sized cloud of fried choux pastry overflowing with sweetened sheep's milk ricotta. But deep-frying pastry dough on a Tuesday night is a messy, stressful affair that will leave your kitchen smelling like a state fair. This is the ultimate, unapologetic cheat. We bake the choux dough in a blazing hot oven—a respected Sicilian technique known as sfinci al forno—giving you the exact same hollow, airy shell without a drop of frying oil. The only rule you cannot break? Drain your supermarket ricotta overnight. That is the real secret to mimicking the thick, luxurious texture of the old country.
Before you start
Drain the ricotta overnight.
Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth or paper towels, set it over a bowl, add the ricotta, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Discard the liquid. This is non-negotiable for achieving the correct texture.
Ingredients
- whole milk ricotta cheese32 oz
- granulated sugar1 cup
- mini semi-sweet chocolate chips1/2 cup
- water1 cup
- unsalted butter6 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- eggs4 large
- unsalted pistachios1/4 cup
- candied orange peel2 tbsp
- Amarena cherries12 med
- powdered sugar1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Mix the ricotta cream.
Transfer your thickened, drained ricotta to a mixing bowl, add the sugar, and beat vigorously until impossibly smooth and creamy. Fold in the chocolate chips and keep chilled.
- 02
Melt the butter and water.
Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, cubed butter, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, ensuring the butter is completely melted before the next step.
- 03
Gelatinize the flour.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately dump in the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until it forms a shaggy dough, then return to medium heat. Mash and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball and leaves a thin, white film on the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes so you do not scramble the eggs.
- 04
Incorporate the eggs one at a time.
Beating vigorously by hand or with a mixer on medium-low, add the eggs one by one. The dough will look separated and slimy at first—do not panic. Wait until each egg is fully absorbed before adding the next. When finished, the dough should be thick, glossy, and smooth.
- 05
Drop the dough and bake without opening the door.
Drop generous, golf-ball-sized dollops of dough onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door under any circumstances, or the sudden temperature drop will cause the steam to escape and your pastries to collapse into dense pancakes.
- 06
Cool, fill, and garnish.
Once deeply golden, puffed, and crisp, remove the sfingi and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice them partially in half like a clamshell, generously spoon in the ricotta cream so it overflows, and garnish with pistachios, a piece of orange peel, and a cherry. Finish with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar.
Notes
Do not skip draining the ricotta.
American cow's milk ricotta is far wetter than the sheep's milk ricotta used in Sicily. If you don't drain it overnight, your filling will be soup.
Trust the process with the eggs.
The choux dough will look like a ruined, slimy mess after each egg addition. Keep beating; it will miraculously come back together into a glossy paste.