Honey Balls
You may have seen struffoli jazzed up with pine nuts, candied fruit, or slivered almonds. Sometimes they are piled into one big mound, sometimes shaped into several smaller mounds, or, especially around the holidays, formed into a wreath. Once you have the basics down, you can go off in any direction.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 10 servings
Ingredients
For the Dough
For the Honey Syrup
Preparation
Step 1
Stir the flour, sugar, lemon and orange zest, and salt together in a bowl and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, butter, and grappa to it. With your fingertips, work the eggs, butter, and grappa together until more or less blended, then begin working in the dry ingredients. Continue working in enough of the flour until the dough is smooth and evenly blended, but not too dry. Gather the dough together into a ball, wipe the dough from your hands, and add it to the dough ball. Clean your hands and the work surface, flour both lightly, and knead the dough until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Step 2
Pull off a plum-size piece of the dough and roll it out with your palms and fingers to a rope about 1/3 inch in diameter. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cut the dough ropes crosswise into 1/3-inch lengths.
Step 3
Pour the oil into a wide, deep skillet or braising pan and heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 350° F or a piece of dough gives off a lively sizzle when slipped into the oil. Carefully slide about one-fourth of the pieces of dough into the oil and fry, turning and immersing them with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon, until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat under the pan as necessary while the struffoli are frying to maintain an even temperature. Transfer them with the skimmer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain, first allowing any excess oil to drip back into the pan. Repeat with the remaining dough, allowing the oil to return to the correct temperature, if necessary, before frying the next batch.
Step 4
Have a bowl of cold water and a serving plate large enough to hold the finished struffoli (about 12 inches in diameter) close by. Stir the honey, sugar, and water together in a heavy, wide pot, large enough to hold all the dough balls, over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to high and bring the syrup to a boil. The syrup will foam up dramatically when it comes to a boil. Continue cooking until the foam dies down and the mixture becomes just a shade darker, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and immediately add all the fried dough balls. Toss them in the syrup with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon until they are coated. Remove the dough balls from the syrup with the skimmer, allowing excess syrup to drip back into the pan first, and mound them on the serving plate like a pyramid, helping yourself with your hands from time to time after dipping them into the cold water to protect them.
Step 5
Scatter the sprinkles over the mound of struffoli until they are colourful enough for you. You may serve them the same day, or keep them for several days covered loosely with plastic wrap.
