Latte Dolce Fritto
Ligurian fried custard diamonds with a firm, lemon-infused sweet milk centre, coated in crisp breadcrumbs and dusted with sugar.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 395 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy-based saucepan
- •balloon whisk
- •shallow rectangular dish
- •frying pan
- •slotted spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 395 kcal
- fat
- 19 g
- carbs
- 48 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 9 g
- calories
- 395 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the milk and lemon peel in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming, then remove from the heat.
- 2
Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl until pale and slightly aerated.
- 3
Sift in the plain flour and cornflour, whisking until a smooth, thick paste forms.
- 4
Discard the lemon peel and pour the warm milk gradually into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
- 5
Return the liquid to the saucepan over low heat.
- 6
Cook while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the cream becomes glossy, thick, and pulls away from the pan.
- 7
Pour the custard into a lightly oiled, shallow rectangular dish to a depth of roughly two centimetres.
- 8
Smooth the surface, cover with baking parchment, and refrigerate for at least two hours until cold and set solid.
- 9
Turn the chilled custard out onto a board and slice it into diamonds or bite-sized squares.
- 10
Dip each diamond into the beaten egg, then coat thoroughly and evenly in the fine breadcrumbs.
- 11
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 175 degrees C.
- 12
Fry the custard diamonds in batches for two minutes until crisp and golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper and dust with sugar.
Chef's tips
Cook the custard over gentle heat while scraping the bottom constantly to prevent scorching. Ensure the custard is chilled completely solid before slicing and breading, otherwise the squares may burst open in the hot oil.
Ingredient substitutions
- cornflour → potato starch (fecola di patate) in equal quantity
- mild olive oil → groundnut oil or sunflower oil
Storage
Best enjoyed immediately after frying, but the unbreaded set custard can be kept covered in the fridge for up to two days before slicing and cooking.
Reheating
Reheat fried squares in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C for five minutes to restore crispness, never in a microwave.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Under-cooking the custard base, which prevents it from setting firmly enough to slice cleanly.
- •Frying in oil that is not hot enough, causing the breading to absorb excess grease and turn soggy.
- •Skipping a thorough breadcrumb coating, which allows the molten custard to leak into the pan.
Serving suggestions
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