These beautiful flower-shaped waffles called Baci Panteschi (literally "kisses of Pantelleria") hail from Pantelleria - a small island, part of Sicily, situated in the Mediterranean halfway between Sicily and Tunisia.
A delicate ricotta and cinnamon cream is sandwiched between two crunchy waffles, dusted with sugar. Divine.
INGREDIENTS
For the batter:
200g milk
150g plain flour
1 egg (for eggless version replace with 50g applesauce)
Pinch of salt
For the filling:
750g ricotta
80g sugar
1tsp cinnamon
Other:
Oil for frying
Icing sugar
METHOD
Make the filling by mixing ricotta, sugar and cinnamon till softened and smooth. (Make sure the ricotta doesn't have any liquid and if it does, drain it before adding to the rest.) Transfer to a piping bag with the largest nozzle and keep in the fridge till later.
Make a very thick batter by mixing all the ingredients till smooth.
Use the smallest pan you have for frying, as you need to fry the pastries one by one and only for a few seconds. Heat oil and dip the flower-shaped iron in it to heat it so the batter doesn't stick.
Then dip the flat part of iron into the batter, making sure the batter doesn't cover the top part of the flower or you won't be able to remove the pastry (swipe to watch the video).
Fry for a few seconds till golden and dry on kitchen paper to cool completely.
Remove the ricotta from the fridge and pipe into one flower, then cover with another flower like a sandwich. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!
