Honey Drenched Christmas Fritters: Struffoli

Ingredients

• 6  eggs 
• 3.5 cups flour 
• 2 cups honey 
• 1  lemon zest juiced
• 1 tablespoon limoncello 
• 1  orange zest 
• 4 cups vegetable oil; peanut oil preferred for frying
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 

Equipment

• frying pan
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• mixing bowl
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, place flour, eggs, yolk, zest of 1 lemon, orange zest, salt, and limoncello and mix well to form a firm dough, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Place in the refrigerator and allow to rest 30 minutes.
3. Remove from the refrigerator and cut golf ball-sized pieces of dough from the main batch.
4. Roll each ball into a 1/2-inch thick dowel (rope) and cut each dowel into 1/2-inch pieces.
5. Roll each piece into a ball and continue until finished with all dough.
6. In a 12 to 14-inch skillet with at least 3-inch sides, heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Drop enough balls in to cover about half of the surface of frying oil and cook until dark golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to turn them regularly, and expect them to puff up while cooking. As they finish, remove them to a tray covered with paper towels, and drain well. This should take at least 5 batches.
7. When all of the struffoli are cooked, heat the honey, lemon juice, and zest together in a wide 6 to 8 quart saucepan until quite warm, about 150 degrees F, and substantially thinner.
8. Add struffoli to honey and stir carefully until well coated.
9. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan, stirring regularly.
10. Pour out into a large serving tray in the form of either a pyramid or a ring mold.
11. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.