MAKING CATHOLIC

ST. JOSEPH CREAM PUFFS

BY WAYNE & MARIANNE TOPP

When we first started having children and began discussing names, we always seemed to lean towards family names for the middle name. By the time our third came along, we began to focus on choosing saints names. It seems slightly embarrassing to admit it, but it wasn’t until we were expecting our fifth child that we finally thought to choose, Joseph. Why had it not occurred to us before? Shouldn’t it have been an obvious choice? But perhaps this is always the case with this humble, holy saint. He should be so obvious, but his important role is often hidden and even forgotten when we reflect on our story of salvation. Well, not this year and certainly not this month! With the entire year dedicated to this outstanding saint, we certainly aren’t going to miss celebrating St. Joseph on his feast day, March 19.

So often when we reflect on the story of Jesus, we immediately turn to his mother, Mary, but she was not alone in God’s plan to bring Christ into the world. God made sure to include Joseph. When Joseph considered quietly divorcing Mary, God sent an angel to assure Joseph that he was part of His plan, too. And who was Joseph? Not a king, or nobleman. Not a man of wealth or stature. He was a carpenter. A simple, poor, everyday, hard-working man – but a faithful man who loved and honored God. And just like Mary, Joseph said yes! He awoke from his dream and took Mary into his home and became the foster father to the Son of God. Through many trials he provided for their needs, protected them from harm and helped to prepare Jesus for His mission. By imitating his humble example, and living a life of love and faithfulness, we too can lead our families in a life of holiness, just as Joseph did.

It is a tradition in Italy to honor this humble saint with a special dessert called Zeppole di San Giuseppe (or St. Joseph Cream Puffs). They start with choux pastry, then they’re filled with a delicious vanilla pastry cream, and topped with a red cherry and powdered sugar. While they look like some sort of gourmet delicacy, these delicious morsels are not nearly as hard to make as you might think! So, get out your aprons and have a little fun in your kitchen. Once they are complete, sit down with your family, say some special prayers to the Patron of the Universal Church and thank him for his own humble fiat that helped make possible our salvation!

Here is the recipe we use: Zeppole di San Giuseppe. Note: We always double the amount of pastry cream for the filling. We just can’t get enough of it!