Cannoli With Amaretto Filling Food

CANNOLI CREAM FILLING / DIP

Steps:

• Line a large strainer with cheese cloth and strain the ricotta cheese for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.
• Add the ricotta cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Sift in the powder sugar and process together for about 45 seconds until incorporated and fluffy.
• Alternately you can add the ricotta cheese and sugar to a bowl and using a hand held blender with the whisk attachments beat together until combined and fluffy.
• Serve as is with the chocolate pizzelle cookies or stuff inside freshly made cannoli shells.

CANNOLI

Steps:

• For the shells:
• Into a bowl sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. With your fingers, work the wine gradually into the dry ingredients to form a stiff dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. With a cutter, cut out rounds 5-inches in diameter. In batches, as necessary, wrap each round onto a cannoli mold, sealing the edges with egg white.
• In a deep saute pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
• Fry the cannoli in batches until just golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, let cool, then gently slip the molds from the cannoli. (Note: Shells can be made 3 days in advance and kept at room temperature in an airtight container.)
• For the filling:
• In a mixing bowl whip the cream. Fold in the ricotta with a rubber spatula, working until creamy. Fold in the sugar, nut liqueur, and dates.
• Place 1 cannoli shell on a flat surface. Working from either end, fill the cannoli with the ricotta filling (using a pastry bag, if desired), pressing gently to ensure that the middle is filled. Dip both ends in the melted chocolate, then into the pistachios and place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cannoli, and serve.

HOMEMADE CANNOLI

Steps:

• For the shell dough: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter pieces into the flour with your fingers until the mixture becomes coarse and sandy. Add the egg yolk and the white wine and mix until it becomes a smooth dough. Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and place the dough in the center. Wrap the plastic loosely around it and press the dough to fill the gap. Flattening the dough will mean less rolling later. Let it rest in the fridge for a few minutes while you make the filling.
• For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Mix to blend. In a separate bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the heavy cream until fairly stiff. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Lightly zest the exterior of the lemon and stir it into the ricotta. Refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.
• To roll and fry the shells: In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the canola oil to 360 degrees F. Meanwhile, sift an even layer of flour on a flat surface. Flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough until it is very thin (about 1/8-inch thick). Cut the dough into fourths and work in small batches. Use any glass or small bowl that has a 3-to-4-inch diameter. Cut rounds, tracing around each one to assure the dough has been fully cut. You should have about 24 circles. Wrap each circle around a cannoli mold. Use a little of the egg wash on the edge of each round to seal it shut and to assure it won't slide or fall off the mold before pressing it closed over the mold. Flare the edges out slightly from the mold. Flaring will allow the oil to penetrate each cannoli shell as they fry. Use a pair of tongs to hold the edge of the mold as you submerge and fry the shell in the oil until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil, and holding the mold in one had with your tongs, gently grip the shell in your other hand with a kitchen towel and carefully slide it off the mold. Set aside to cool. Repeat with all of the circles.
• To fill the cannolis: Just before serving, use a pastry bag without a tip to pipe the ricotta into the cannoli molds. Fill the cannoli shells from both ends so the cream runs through the whole shell. Dust with powdered sugar. Powdered sugar gives that little extra sweetness and added texture to the exterior. It also makes me feel like I have a professional bakery touch in my own home. Serve immediately.

CANNOLI FILLING

Steps:

• Put ingredients in bowl.
• Mix with spoon until combined.
• Fill shells.

CANNOLI FILLED WITH PISTACHIO RICOTTA

Steps:

• Soak the dried cranberries in the amaretto in a small bowl for 30 minutes.
• Combine the ricotta and sugar in a small bowl and whip until smooth. Add the mascarpone and stir to incorporate. Be careful not to overmix, or the mascarpone might separate. Fold in the pistachios and dried cranberries with their soaking liquid.
• Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe the mixtrue into the cannoli shells. If you don't have a pastry bag, put the filling into a plastic bag, snip off 1 corner, and squeeze the filling out into the pastry shells. (Do this close to serving time so the shells won't lose their crispness.) Refrigerate until serving time.
• To serve, dust with confectioners' sugar, using a sieve. Serve chilled.
• Prepare a sanitizing solution of 1 quart of water and 1 tablespoon of household bleach.
• Rinse a large stainless steel or enameled stockpot or soup pot with the sanitizing solution and pour the milk and cream into the pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring as necessary with a sanitized spoon so the milk doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the lemon juice. Continue stirring slowly until the milk curdles and white curds float to the top. Remove from the heat and cover. Wait for 5 minutes while the curds solidify slightly and become firmer.
• Rinse a colander and a large piece of muslin or several layers of cheesecloth in the sanitizing solution. Wring out the cloth to release the excess water. Line the colander with the cloth and set the colander in the sink or over a large bowl.
• Using a sanitized perforated spoon, gently ladle the curds into the colander. Let the whey drain for 30 minutes, or until the ricotta is still moist but fairly dry.
• After about 15 minutes, lift the edges of the cloth toward the center of the colander to loosen the cheese from the cloth and facilitate draining. If the ricotta is still too liquid and runny in texture after 30 minutes, gather the edges of the cloth together using 1 hand, wrap a piece of kitchen string around the gathered cloth to form a bag, and tie it closed. Hang the bag containing the cheese from the faucet or the handle of a kitchen cabinet door and allow the excess whey to drip from the bag into the sink or a bowl.
• If adding salt, transfer the ricotta to a sanitized bowl and stir in the salt. Place the ricotta in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Use within 5 days.
• Yield: 3 1/4 cups
• Cut the egg roll wrappers into circles 4 inches in diameter. Roll the wrappers around mold or pieces of aluminum tubing that are 1-inch in diameter and 4 1/2 to 5 inches in length. Moisten the overlapped flap of dough with water to seal each wrapper.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking, about 350 degrees F. Add the shells, still on the tubing, and fry, turning with tongs as necessary, until golden brown and cripsy on all sides. Remove immediately, using tongs, and stand the tubing on end on paper towels to drain. When cool, slip the cannoli shells off of the tubing.
• Yield: 8 large or 12 mini cannoli shells

CANNOLI WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir ricotta cheese with 1 cup confectioners sugar until combined. Add almonds, chocolate chips and almond liqueur.
• Carefully spoon into cannoli shells (or pipe from a pastry bag), filling from the center out.
• Sprinkle individual serving plates with powdered sugar and cocoa, or sprinkle on cannoli. Garnish plates with cherries.

ITALIAN CANNOLI FILLING OR DIP

Steps:

• Zest the orange and mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Mix on high speed for one minute scraping the bowl once or twice.
• Put the filling in a gallon sized zipper bag in the refrigerator for one hour or longer. Overnight works well.
• Fill in cannoli shells by cutting a corner off the zipper bag and gently squeezing into one end of the cannoli shell, repeat on the other end.
• You can also serve on cookies or as a dip.

CANNOLI WITH AMARETTO FILLING

Steps:

• SHELLS: Combine flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.
• Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Stir in beaten egg.
• Gradually stir in wine, mixing well.
• Shape dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/16-inch thickness.
• Cut into 3 1/2-inch circles, and roll circles into 5-inch ovals.
• Place a cannoli form, lengthwise, down the center of each oval and roll dough around form.
• Moisten seam with water to seal.
• Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven and heat to 350°F.
• Fry cannoli shells one minutes, or until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels and cool about 5 seconds.
• Remove the form and cool cannoli shells completely.
• FILLING: Thoroughly drain ricotta in a strainer, discarding the liquid.
• Put ricotta in a processor and process until smooth.
• Combine ricotta, mascarpone, powdered sugar and Amaretto, if using, in a medium bowl and beat at medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Fold in two grated squares of chocolate. Place in the refrigerator and chill 4 hours.
• Pipe, or spoon. filling into shells.
• Sprinkle shells with remaining powdered sugar and exposed filling with remaining chocolate.
• NOTES : A substitute for mascarpone cheese may be mad by combining 16 ounces cream cheese, 1/3 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup whipping cream.