St. Joseph's Day Cream Puffs / Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease and flour a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
3. In a heavy saucepan, heat the water, add the butter and lard, and when melted, remove pan from the stove and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon, then return the pan to medium-high heat, beating the mixture until it comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon or hand mixer to blend each in well before adding the next egg.
4. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch plain nozzle with some of the cream puff mixture. Squeeze out 1¼-inch puffs about ½ inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake the cream puffs about 20 minutes or until golden brown. When done, carefully slit the side of each cream puff with a knife to allow steam to escape and prevent the puffs from becoming soggy inside. Transfer the cream puffs to cooling racks.
5. In a small bowl, mix the starch and sugar for the filling. Set aside.
6. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the starch mixture and cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and slowly add the eggs, beating well. Return the mixture to the heat for just a few seconds to cook the mixture, being careful not to scramble the eggs. Pour the filling into a bowl, add the almond extract, and blend. Cover with buttered waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
7. To serve, use a small knife to cut off the top third of each cream puff. Add about 2 teaspoons filling (more if the puffs are larger), replace the tops, and put puffs on a decorative platter. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.
8. Variation: Fill cream puffs with jam, chocolate cream filling, or ice cream. Drizzle chocolate sauce over the top instead of confectioner's sugar.