Tuscan Carnival Cenci.
Simple, crunchy, delicious.
Chiacchiere are the quintessential carnival dessert; each Italian region has its traditional recipe, thicker, crunchier, thinner, and a different name. In Tuscany, we have Tuscan Carnival Cenci, very dry, crunchy, light, and bubbly pasta sheets; the vin santo gives them a unique aroma and flavor, making them irresistibly tasty, a must-try dessert.
Called cenci due to their cloth-like shape, but also known as francette, crogetti, frappe, nun’s chiacchiere, and vin santo cenci, these delicious fried carnival sweets in Tuscany are often served with a sip of vin santo and some orange marmalade softened with orange juice for dipping.
Carnival is here, and you must try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs (large)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 3 fl oz vin santo (the amount is approximate, you might need a bit more or less)
- 1 oz butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- zest of 2 lemons (untreated)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch baking soda
- as needed peanut oil (For frying)
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Work Surface
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Pastry Wheel
- 1 Frying Pan
Steps
Melt the butter and let it cool down.
Hand kneading.
Sift the flour, mix it with the sugar and place it on a work surface, forming a well. Create a crater in the center where you will add the cooled butter, oil, eggs and yolks, grated lemon zest, a pinch of baking soda, and salt. Begin kneading with a fork, gradually adding the vin santo. Once all the liquids are incorporated, knead by hand for a few minutes until the dough is smooth, homogeneous, firm, and non-sticky (if needed, add more vin santo depending on the flour’s humidity).
Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
You can also prepare the dough with a stand mixer by combining sifted flour, sugar, melted butter, oil, vin santo, eggs, yolks, grated lemon zest, a pinch of baking soda, and salt, kneading with the K hook until a homogeneous dough is obtained.
At this point, transfer the dough to the work surface and knead by hand for a few minutes until the dough is smooth, homogeneous, and non-sticky (if needed, add more vin santo depending on the flour’s humidity).
Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
After resting, divide the dough into 4 parts.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet (the thinner the sheet, the crunchier it will be. I used a pasta machine and rolled the dough through the rollers several times until reaching the final, thinnest notch), cut the cenci with a wavy pastry cutter into many rectangles, diamonds, strips, or squares, and make a central cut of a few centimeters on each rectangle.
Place the cenci on a lightly floured cloth.
Heat plenty of oil in a high-sided pan.
Fry the cenci a few at a time (2 or 3 cenci) in hot oil (350°F, if you don’t have a thermometer, when the oil seems hot, add a cencio; if it floats on the oil and bubbles form immediately, the oil is ready), turning them over once they are lightly golden (be careful not to burn them, they cook in an instant, it takes a few seconds) and place them to drain as they are cooked on a tray lined with paper towels.
Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Melt the butter and let it cool down.
Put the flour in the bowl for 20 secvel 1.
Add sugar, grated lemon zest, eggs and yolks, a pinch of baking soda, butter, oil, a pinch of salt, and vin santo 4 minutesKnead.
At this point, transfer the dough to the work surface and knead by hand for a few minutes until the dough is smooth, homogeneous, and non-sticky (if needed, add more vin santo depending on the flour’s humidity).
Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
After resting, roll out and fry the cenci as indicated above.
Tuscan Carnival Cenci are ready to enjoy… ENJOY YOUR DESSERT!
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