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Gaznates
Meringue-filled pastry tubes
Gaznates: crisp fried pastry tubes filled with meringue, from central Mexico
Gaznates are a fair and fiesta sweet in Puebla, Mexico City and the State of Mexico: paper-thin squares of pastry wrapped around metal tubes, fried until blistered and filled with a glossy meringue or sweetened coconut. Some stalls tint the meringue pink. The shell shatters like a cannoli while the filling is soft and cloud-like. They contain wheat and egg. Chef's tip: roll the dough as thin as you can, so it bubbles and turns crisp; thick dough turns hard.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the shells
- 7 oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ cup orange juiceapprox.
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 ¼ cups oil for deep-frying
For the meringue
- 6 ½ oz sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp lime juice
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz plain flour, 1 pinch salt, 2 egg yolks and 2 tbsp vegetable oil, then add ¼ cup orange juice gradually and knead to a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Roll out on a floured worktop until almost see-through, about 1 mm. Cut 9 cm squares and wrap each corner-to-corner around an oiled cannoli tube, sealing the overlap with a dab of water.
15 minStep 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups oil for deep-frying to 350°F. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 1–2 minutes until blistered and golden. Lift out, cool 30 seconds and slide off the tubes. Oil that is too cool is the usual mistake; the shells soak it up and go greasy.
15 minStep 4: For the meringue, boil 6 ½ oz sugar and ¼ cup water over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes to 250°F (soft ball). Meanwhile whisk 3 egg whites with 1 tsp lime juice to soft peaks.
8 minStep 5: Pour the hot syrup in a thin stream into the whites while whisking, then whisk 5 minutes more until glossy, stiff and cool.
6 minStep 6: Pipe meringue into both ends of each shell just before serving so they stay crisp.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gaznates take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of orange juice?
- Mandarin or pineapple juice, same amount.
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