Cretan "Svingi" with orange syrup

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 170 g wheat flour type 405
• 250 g whole milk
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 5 m.-sized eggs
• 100 g white sugar
• 100 g orange juice
• 1 cinnamon stick(s), approx. 8 cm long
• 2 cloves
• 2 tbsp honey, dark
• 1 liter of frying oil, fresh
• e.g. white sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Fried, airy choux pastry balls with syrup.

Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves, add the honey, and mix until smooth. Do not add sugar to the dough. In a 2-liter saucepan, simmer the whole milk with the olive oil, salt, lemon zest, and cinnamon sticks for 5 minutes, then remove the cinnamon sticks and add all the flour at once. Stir with the milk until a ball of dough forms. Stir until the ball of dough starts to pull away from the pan. Remove from the heat and let cool. Break the ball of dough into large pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Using a mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the eggs one at a time. As soon as the dough has a thick consistency, stop adding the eggs. Depending on the flour’s ability to swell, this can occur as early as the fourth egg, so be careful and never add half an egg too many to the dough. Heat the frying oil to 190°C. Dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the hot fat. If small bubbles appear on the handle, the temperature is right. Dip a teaspoon in cold water and use it to scoop out a portion of batter. Using a second teaspoon, drop it into the frying oil (the batter will expand considerably). Repeat this process until 6-8 balls are floating in the oil. Turn the balls over with a sieve until they are golden brown all over. Remove from the oil with the sieve, drain well, and place on kitchen paper. Repeat this process until all the batter is used up. Drizzle the balls with syrup, optionally sprinkle with sesame seeds, place on a serving platter, and serve warm. Note: You can add a little syrup to the balls using a fine nozzle. This eliminates the need to drizzle, and you can enjoy the svingi without any spills. Recipe source: Mr. Olympios, Armonia Hotel, Crete.