Ćwierczakiewiczowa’s angel wings

Angel wings like you’ve never had before! This recipe comes from Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, a renowned 19th-century cookbook author. The dough is rich in egg yolks and whole eggs, soft and quite loose — yes, you might be tempted to add more flour, but resist! It’s meant to be this way. There’s no need for laborious kneading or pounding, yet the result is incredibly delicate. These angel wings are so fragile they almost crumble at the touch… and absolutely delicious. I slightly adapted the method (using a food processor) to ensure the perfect texture. Quite honestly, these are the best faworki I’ve ever tasted!

Important: The dough must be rolled and fried immediately after preparation — do not let it rest. The thinner you roll it, the crispier and lighter the result.

Ingredients for Ćwierczakiewiczowa’s angel wings:

• 450 g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 4 tablespoons icing sugar
• 30 g butter, at room temperature
• 8 egg yolks
• 4 eggs (small or medium)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ½ teaspoon rum flavouring (or similar)
• 2 tablespoons vodka or rum

Additionally:

• oil, coconut oil or lard (for frying)
• icing sugar with vanilla (for dusting)

Place all the dough ingredients into a food processor and blend until a smooth dough forms. The dough will be quite soft and loose — this is correct. Continue mixing until small air bubbles appear on the surface of the dough. Divide the dough into portions.

Roll each portion out very thinly on a lightly floured surface (use only as much flour as needed to prevent sticking). Cut into long diagonal strips, then into smaller pieces (about 10 cm long). Cut a slit in the centre of each strip and pull one end through to form the classic shape.

Heat the oil to 175°C. Fry the angel wings in batches until light golden on both sides. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, then immediately dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy!