Gaznates Yucatecos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Metal cream horn molds (canutillos) or clean hardwood dowels cut to 4-inch lengths
• •Heavy deep pot for frying, 4-inch sides minimum
• •Candy thermometer for the sugar syrup
• •Stand mixer with whisk attachment
• •Pastry bag with star or plain tip
• •Rolling pin and a long counter you can work on

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the dough

   Mound the flour and salt on a clean wooden surface. Make a well in the center. Drop in the egg yolks, the soft lard, and the white wine. If you are using aguardiente, add it now. Work the wet ingredients with your fingers, pulling in the flour from the inside walls of the well little by little. The wine is what gives the gaznate its blistered, bubbly crust when it hits the hot fat. Use real white wine, not cooking wine. Cooking wine has salt and the salt kills the bubbles.

   If the dough feels dry and refuses to come together, add wine a teaspoon at a time. Never water. Water makes a tough dough and a flat crust.
2. 2

   Knead and rest

   Once the flour is incorporated, knead the dough for a full eight minutes. It will be stiff at first and soften under your hands. You want a smooth, satiny ball that springs back slowly when you press it. Wrap it tightly in plastic and rest on the counter for 30 minutes. The rest relaxes the gluten and the wine continues to work its way through the dough.

3. 3

   Roll the dough thin

   Lightly flour your work surface. Divide the dough in half and work with one piece at a time. Roll it out as thin as you can without tearing, almost paper-thin, the way a Yucatecan repostera rolls dough for empanaditas. If you can see the shadow of your hand through it, you are close. This is the difference between a gaznate that crackles and one that thuds. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo.

4. 4

   Cut and wrap the horns

   Cut the rolled dough into rectangles about 4 inches long by 3 inches wide. Wrap each rectangle around a metal cream horn mold, or around a 3/4-inch dowel of clean hardwood, overlapping the edge by a half inch and pressing gently to seal. Brush the seam with a dab of water if it will not stick. Do not press too hard or you will glue the dough to the mold and lose the gaznate in the fryer. Keep the wrapped molds covered with a clean cloth while you work.

5. 5

   Fry until blistered

   Heat the oil in a deep heavy pot to 350F. A wooden spoon dipped in should bubble steadily around the handle. Lower three or four wrapped molds at a time into the oil, seam side down first to seal the seam. Fry for about 90 seconds, turning once, until the gaznate is pale gold with deep blisters across the surface. Those blisters are the wine working. Lift out with tongs and let the molds rest on a wire rack for a minute, then carefully slide the fried tubes off the molds. If a tube sticks, give it another moment to cool. Pulling too soon will tear it.

   Watch the temperature. Too hot and the outside browns before the bubbles form. Too cool and the dough absorbs oil and turns greasy. 350F holds the bubble structure and gives you the crackling shell.
6. 6

   Cook the sugar syrup

   Combine the sugar, water, and lime juice in a small heavy saucepan. Stir once to wet the sugar, then leave it alone. Cook over medium heat without stirring until the syrup reaches 240F on a candy thermometer, the soft-ball stage. The lime juice keeps the syrup from crystallizing. This is an Italian meringue, the stiff kind that holds its shape inside the gaznate and does not weep.

7. 7

   Whip the meringue

   While the syrup cooks, begin whipping the egg whites in a clean, dry stand mixer bowl on medium-high speed. By the time they reach soft peaks, the syrup should be at temperature. With the mixer running, pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Avoid hitting the whisk or the syrup will throw sugar threads. Continue whipping for six to eight minutes, until the meringue is glossy, holds stiff peaks, and the bowl feels cool to the touch. Beat in the vanilla.

8. 8

   Fill and serve

   Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a star or plain tip. Pipe the meringue into each fried tube from both ends until it just peeks out. Fill the gaznates within an hour of serving. The shells lose their crackle if they sit filled for too long. Dust with powdered sugar if you like, though the old Mérida convent recipes left them plain. Set them on a talavera platter and serve with strong coffee. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy or borrow metal cream horn molds if you can find them. They are inexpensive at any panadería supply store in Mexico. If you cannot find them, cut clean hardwood dowels to 4-inch lengths and sand them smooth. Wrap them in parchment if you are worried about the wood absorbing oil.
• •The dough must rest. Skipping the 30-minute rest gives you a gluten-tight dough that fights you on the roll and shrinks back in the fryer. No me vengas con atajos.
• •Italian meringue is the only meringue that holds inside a gaznate without weeping. French meringue collapses within an hour and Swiss meringue is too soft. The hot syrup cooks the whites and stabilizes the foam.
• •Fill the gaznates within an hour of serving. The shells are hygroscopic and will go soft against the meringue if they sit too long. The empty shells, kept in an airtight tin, will hold their crackle for three days.

Advance Preparation

• •The fried empty shells can be made up to three days ahead. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature with a piece of parchment between layers. Do not refrigerate. Humidity is the enemy of the crackle.
• •The dough can be made and rested up to 24 hours ahead. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. Bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.
• •The meringue must be made the day of serving. It cannot wait.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 45g)