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zeppole

Zeppole with Whipped Ricotta

At Tipo in Portland, Maine, Chris and Paige Gould serve this ricotta-dosed, doughnut-esque Italian dessert with a twist: tossed in a sugar mix accented with long pepper. Milder than black pepper, the spice offers warm notes of nutmeg and cinnamon—pour leftovers into your pepper mill to add a deep, toasty flavor to eggs or pasta.
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Servings 18

Ingredients
  

  • WHIPPED RICOTTA:
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 1 cup mascarpone
  • 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
  •  
  • SUGAR MIXTURE:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 1½ teaspoons ground long pepper
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  •  
  • ZEPPOLE:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • Canola oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • WHIPPED RICOTTA: Wrap ricotta in a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a medium bowl and add remaining ingredients. Whip mixture with a hand mixer or whisk until light and fluffy and almost doubled in size. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • SUGAR MIXTURE: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
  • ZEPPOLE: Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs and ricotta in a small bowl until smooth. Fold ricotta-egg mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. (Fritters will be tough if you overwork dough.)
  • Pour 3 inches of oil into a large, heavy-bottom skillet or Dutch oven and heat until oil reaches 350°F. Carefully lower heaping teaspoons of dough into hot oil. Leave about 1 inch on all sides of each zeppola—work in batches to avoid crowding.
  • Fry zeppole until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel–lined plate. Toss zeppole in sugar mixture and serve warm with dollops of whipped ricotta.