Struffoli - - Neapolitan Christmas Treats Recipe

Ingredients:

• struffoli - - neapolitan christmas treats
• struffoli are (they're always referred to in the plural) now an absolute requirement at the end of a neapolitan christmas day dinner. however, in introducing them in la cucina napoletana, carola francesconi says their inclusion is relatively recent -- crisci mentions them several times in the book he wrote in 1634, but doesn'tsp include them in his christmas menu. to make a batch you will need
• for the dough
• 4 cups (400 g) flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp grain alcohol
• a chunk of butter the size of a small walnut
• 1 tbsp sugar
• the zest of a half a lemon, grated
• the zest of half an orange, grated
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pot full of olive oil for frying
• for the seasoning (for want of a better term)
• 3/4 lb (300 g) honey
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 oz diavolilli (tiny, variously colored candied almonds)
• 4 candied cherries, halved
• 2 oz (50 g) candied orange peel, half finely diced and half cut into fine strips
• 2 oz (50 g) candied citron, half finely diced and half cut into fine strips
• 2 oz (50 g) candied melon rind, half finely diced and half cut into fine strips