Frittelle di Carnevale (Italian Venetian Carnival Fritters)

• Start by soaking the raisins in water. Put the dried yeast in a glass and add 1/2 cup of warm water, then mix well with a spoon until the yeast has completely dissolved.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour with three tablespoons of sugar and the grated lemon zest, taking care not to damage the white part of the lemon, which has a bitter taste.
• Then pour the water in which you dissolved the yeast onto the flour and start mixing with a whisk or spoon.
• Also, add the rum to the mixture. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Pour the eggs into the dough, then start adding the milk little by little, always mixing. When you get a fluid but quite consistent dough, do not add more.
• Squeeze the raisins and add them to the mixture, stirring again to distribute them. Cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and let it rise for an hour and a half, even two. When the dough of the Venetian fritters has doubled its volume it will be ready.
• Heat about 2 cups of peanut oil in a pan and, when it is very hot (about 338°F – 170°C), take small quantities of dough, about a half tablespoon, and drop them into the oil
• When they start to swell, turn the fritters, so that they brown well on both sides, then drain them with a slotted spoon and let them dry on a sheet of kitchen paper. While they are still hot, roll them in the granulated sugar.
• Serve the fritters when they are still hot.

  If you want to fill the fritters with custard, put the cream in a piping bag with a smooth spout, pierce each fritter, and gently press down on the piping bag to fill it with a dollop of cream.

GLUTEN-FREE PASTRY CREAM (optional filling)

• Put the milk in a saucepan together with the lemon zest (or the vanilla pod) and heat it until it almost boils. Remove it from the heat and let it cool down.
• Meanwhile, put the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl and beat them with an electric whisk for at least 5 minutes, until they become light and frothy.
• Add a third of the warm milk by pouring it slowly and continuing to mix. Sift the cornstarch directly into the bowl, then mix well with an electric whisk to mix it with the mixture, so that no lumps are formed.
• Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the milk and put it on the heat, which must be very low; mix the gluten-free pastry cream with a hand whisk so that it does not burn on the bottom.
• Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the gluten-free custard thickens. If it thickens too much or too quickly, remove it from the heat and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold milk, stir and put it back on the heat. Let the custard with cornstarch cool completely and keep it in the refrigerator until it is time to use it.