Crema fritta alla veneziana, carnavale is over but not for food

Very popular in Venice, it is mainly eaten during the city's famous carnivals. It is not a difficult dessert to make but it requires an intermediate time for the cream to solidify, so it is usual to leave it overnight before making the final fry. I recommend you use the exact measurements that I indicate, otherwise it will not come out as expected.

INGREDIENTS

    • 5 eggs

    • 180 grams (6.3 oz)  of sugar

    • 1 liter (5 cups) of whole milk

    • 200 grams (7 oz)  of white wheat flour

    • Bread crumbs

    • A lemon

    • 50 grams (1.8 oz) of sugar (to sprinkle on top)

    • Sunflower oil

First of all, we heat the milk with the lemon skin without the white part since it would make the milk bitter. We must prevent the milk from boiling, so use low fire. 

While the milk is heating up,  pour the yolks in a bowl - we separate the whites and reserve them for when we fry the cream -, beat them well and add the sugar, stirring so that it dissolves well. Then add the sifted flour to prevent lumps from forming and mix well until a smooth dough is obtained.

With the milk already hot but not boiling - this is important or the cream would spoil - remove the skin of the lemon and gradually pour the contents of the bowl with the yolks, sugar and flour into the pan, stirring constantly. Stir for 5 minutes until the cream thickens.

At that moment we remove from the heat and pour it into a flat, rectangular source with a bottom of about two fingers covered with plastic wrap so that it is easy to unmold later.

Let stand until it reaches room temperature and then put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day the cream will be quite solid and all we have to do is cut it into a diamond shape, which is the typical shape given to it in Venice (or make it into squares a couple of centimeters. less than 1 inch,  on each side if it is easier for you).

Heat enough sunflower oil (two fingers deep) in a frying pan. Soak the squares of cream in the egg whites that you had reserved the day before and pass them through the breadcrumbs. 

Put them in the pan so that they brown with strong bubbling - a minute or minute and a half will suffice - and then take them to absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Fry a few at a time and the result will be better. 

Then sprinkle sugar on top and eat them hot, warm or cold, as you like.