Frappe Romane
Delicate Roman Carnival ribbons of sweet pastry, rolled paper-thin and fried until blistered and crisp, then finished with a snowy dusting of icing sugar.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 290 kcal
Equipment
- •Pasta machine or rolling pin
- •Deep frying pan
- •Fluted pastry wheel cutter
- •Slotted spoon or spider
- •Digital cooking thermometer
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 36 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 5 g
- calories
- 290 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mound the flour on a clean board and make a wide well in the centre.
- 2
Add the sugar, softened butter, whole eggs, egg yolk, sambuca, lemon zest, and salt into the well.
- 3
Whisk the wet ingredients with a fork, gradually drawing in flour until a soft dough forms.
- 4
Knead the dough firmly for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 5
Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest at room temperature for thirty minutes.
- 6
Roll small portions through a pasta machine into paper-thin sheets, roughly one millimetre thick.
- 7
Cut the sheets with a fluted pastry wheel into wide ribbons, cutting one or two slits in the centre.
- 8
Heat the peanut oil to 175°C in a deep frying pan.
- 9
Fry two or three ribbons at a time for one minute, turning once until pale golden and blistered.
- 10
Transfer the fried ribbons onto kitchen paper to drain and cool completely.
- 11
Dust the cooled frappe generously with icing sugar before serving.
Chef's tips
Roll the dough as thinly as possible until it is almost translucent to guarantee the signature brittle Roman snap. Maintain the oil temperature between 170°C and 175°C so the pastry blisters instantly without absorbing excess oil.
Ingredient substitutions
- sambuca → mistrà , grappa, or dry white wine
- peanut oil → sunflower oil or lard (strutto) for a historical finish
Storage
Store completely cooled frappe in an airtight tin or bakery bag at room temperature for up to five days.
Reheating
Do not reheat frappe, as they are meant to be eaten crisp at room temperature.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rolling the dough too thickly, which makes the pastries chewy and heavy rather than light and crisp.
- •Frying in oil that is not hot enough, causing the dough to soak up oil and turn soggy.
- •Dusting with icing sugar while still hot, which dissolves the sugar into a sticky glaze.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Frappe Romane?
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