Struffoli — tiny fried dough balls with honey and orange

Finely grate the colored zest from a washed and dried orange, avoiding the white pith, and weigh out 3 g. In a bowl, combine 200 g type 450 cake flour, 20 g sugar and 1 g salt. Add 100 g beaten whole eggs, 20 g softened butter and all the zest. Knead for about 5–7 minutes, until smooth; do not add liquid.

Flatten the dough into a thick disk, wrap tightly or cover the bowl, and refrigerate for about 1 hour. It should become firm but still be easy to shape by hand. After removing it from the refrigerator, do not add flour or fat; keep unused pieces covered as you work.

Divide the dough into eight similar pieces, about 43 g each. Roll each on a clean silicone mat or parchment paper into a rope about 1 cm in diameter. If it cracks or springs back, let it soften briefly in your hands. Do not dust the work surface, and use all the ends.

Cut the ropes into pieces about 1 cm long and round them lightly with your fingers. Spread them separately on parchment paper so they do not stick together. You will have roughly 300–400 tiny pieces; there is no need to count them exactly. Similar sizes matter more so they fry evenly. Add all trimmings to the batch.

Pour 800 g high-oleic oil into a stable pot about 20 cm in diameter with a capacity of at least 3 l; the oil will be about 3 cm deep. Heat over medium heat to approximately 170–175°C. Do not let it smoke. Have a slotted spoon and a plate lined with paper towels ready.

Divide the prepared pieces into four batches. Lower one batch at a time into the oil with a slotted spoon, without dropping it from a height. Fry for about 2–3 minutes, stirring gently, until evenly golden. Lively bubbles should appear around the dough. If it darkens too quickly, lower the heat; let the oil heat up again before the next batch.

Lift out the fried balls with a slotted spoon, allowing the oil to drip back into the pot. Transfer to paper towels and leave for about 15 minutes, until no longer hot. Fry and drain all the dough this way. The remaining oil in the pot and on the paper is outside the served food.

Warm 120 g honey in a wide saucepan over low heat for about 1–2 minutes, just until more fluid; do not boil it for a long time. Turn off the heat, add all the cooled struffoli and gently stir with a spatula until each has a thin honey coating. Scrape all the honey from the sides and bottom onto the balls; do not add water.

Transfer everything to a plate, scraping out the remaining coating from the saucepan, and use a spatula to form a low mound. Let stand for about 15 minutes so the honey settles. Divide into eight portions. They are best on the day they are made; keep covered in a cool, dry place and use within 1–2 days. The honey gradually softens them.