Italian Custard Cream Filled Cannolis Food

ITALIAN CUSTARD

Steps:

• 1. In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don't curdle or scorch on the bottom. Add Lemon Peel if desired.
• 3. When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat and remove lemon peel. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

ITALIAN CREAM STUFFED CANNONCINI (PUFF PASTRY HORNS)

Steps:

• Warm up the milk until hot (not boiling).
• In a medium sized pan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla extract and flour, until light and fluffy.
• Add the milk some at a time while whisking, making sure there are no lumps.
• Place the pan over medium heat and stir continuously until it reaches a slow boil. The cream will thicken, so be careful not to let it stick to the bottom. Lower the flame and cook for a couple of more minutes, until you reach the desire thickness.
• Pour the cream in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Sprinkle some sugar on the counter and on top of the puff pastry and roll it out to a rectangle about 9 by 12 inches.
• Cut into 12 stripes (about 1 inch thick). Easy way to do it: cut the pastry in three parts, and then each part into four strips.
• Roll each strip onto a horn mold (conical in shape). The pastry has to overlap (about half of the length).
• Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with seem (end of the strip) side down.
• Beat one egg with one tablespoon of water. Brush lightly each pastry cone with the egg wash.
• Make sure you keep the egg wash away from the mold. It will make it harder to remove the pastry horn from the mold once baked.
• Bake at 400°F (200 °C) for about 15-20 minutes until golden on top.
• Let them cool down for a couple of minutes and gently remove from the mold. If the pastry sticks to the mold, you can press in the mold a little (to make the circumference smaller) and very gently turn it inside the pastry until it comes off.
• Before serving, fill with the cream using a piping bag. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like, and enjoy!

CANNOLI WITH PASTRY CREAM FILLING RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan, heat milk, a strip of lemon zest and vanilla extract. Do not bring to a boil. Set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Add flour and whisk.
• Pour half of the warm milk into the egg mixture and whisk until incorporated.
• Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan with the remaining milk. Place on the burner over medium-high heat and whisk continuously until it comes to a gentle boil and thickens, about 5 minutes.
• Remove and discard the strip of lemon zest.
• To ensure your pastry cream is completely smooth and free of lumps, force it through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl.
• Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream in order to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cooled, about 2 hours.
• While the pastry cream cools prepare the shells by stirring together all-purpose flour and sugar in a large bowl.
• Make a well in the center and pour in the milk; red wine; vegetable oil and egg.
• Use a fork to whisk the wet ingredients and slowly begin incorporating the flour into the wet ingredients to form a dough. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
• This dough does not require a resting period and can be rolled out immediately. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, keep the remaining pieces covered to prevent the dough from drying.
• Use a pasta roller (or rolling pin) to roll out the sheets of dough until the second to last setting. Lightly sprinkle your sheets with all-purpose flour as needed if they are sticky. Keep the sheets of dough covered to prevent from drying.
• Cut the dough into 4 inch rounds with a cookie cutter or any other household item of similar size. For years my mom used a mug with a 4 inch opening.
• Reroll any scraps of dough and cut out more circles.
• Wrap the dough around the cannoli molds and seal both ends with egg white (reserve an egg white from the pastry cream). This is crucial to prevent them from unwrapping from the molds during frying.
• Fill a deep heavy bottomed pot (or use a fryer if you have one) with about 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the oil.
• In order to verify if the oil is hot enough try out my mom's easy method: place the end of a wooden spoon directly in the middle of the pot, if the oil immediately bubbles and sizzles around the handle it's ready for frying.
• Fry 3 or 4 cannoli shells at a time until golden. Avoid overcrowding your pot as you may have to hold them down to ensure that all sides are evenly fried. They sometimes roll over when you try to flip them!
• The shells are ready when they are golden and bubbly. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate or tray.
• Use two paper towels to carefully separate the cannoli molds from the shell (be careful, they will be extremely hot!). Wrap more dough around the molds and continue fry the remaining pieces of dough.
• Fill the cannoli shells once they are completely cooled.
• Place the cooled cannoli cream in a pastry bag with a star or round tip attachment. Alternately use a freezer bag with the tip cut off.
• Pipe the cream at both ends of each cannoli shell making sure that the cream reaches the center of the shell.
• Dust with powdered sugar (optional) and sprinkle some chopped pistachios and chocolate chips or grated chocolate (optional) on each end.
• Fill up to 4 hours prior to serving to ensure the shell stays crisp. Refrigerate the filled cannoli shells.

VANILLA/CHOCOLATE CUSTARD FILLING FOR CANNOLI

Steps:

• Prepare basic cream puff recipe as above. Let cool.
• Heat milk in large heavy saucepan until bubbles appear around edge. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with wire whisk or mixer until pale yellow and thick. Beat in flour until well mixed. Gradually beat in hot milk; pour all back into saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over moderately high heat until mixture thickens and comes to boiling, lower heat. Mixture will be lumpy in the beginning, but lumps disappear during cooking and stirring. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes, over low heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will be quite thick.
• Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Place a piece of wax paper directly on surface of filling to prevent skin from forming.
• Chill at least 2 hours. If filling becomes too stiff after it's chilled, gradually stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• To make chocolate filling following the directions for Vanilla Custard Filling, adding 1tbs + 1tsp chocolate coco powder stirring until combine. Continue with rest of recipe. Fill puffs just before serving.

CANNOLI SHELLS AND RICOTTA CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Three or more days in advance of making the cannoli shells set the ricotta in a colander inside of a large bowl.
• Scrape the ricotta into the colander and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for two days, until it is dry.
• To make the dough for cannoli shells: In a small bowl put eggs.
• Beat eggs; add vanilla and ice water to eggs.
• In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa, and cinnamon.
• Add the shortening and mix until crumbly.
• Make well in dry mixture and add wet mixture.
• Using your hands mix together, if it is dry, add more ice water.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 3 minutes.
• Shape the dough into a flattened ball.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 to 60 minutes.
• Cut the dough into 4 pieces.
• Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine or the dough can be rolled on a board with a rolling pin.
• Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep the pieces from sticking.
• Continue to pass the dough through the machine until you reach the last or second to last setting.
• You might need to run the dough through the pasta machine three times.
• The dough needs to be thin-about the same thickness as construction paper; cut the dough into 4 1/2 inch circles. (Giovanna's cannoli tubes are 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter.).
• Continue rolling out the remaining dough.
• If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.
• Put a rack in the bottom of a large heavy kettle that you plan on putting your peanut oil into so that your cannoli shells do not touch the bottom and burn. (Giovanna uses a restaurant kettle that is about 18 inches in diameter.).
• Pour about 2 inches of oil in a smaller kettle. Giovanna used 4 quarts but her kettle is huge!
• Heat oil until a deep frying thermometer shows 375 degrees.
• Oil the cannoli tubes by placing them in the hot oil then draining them in a metal bowl (you need the oil on the tube so that later the cannoli shell will slip off easily).
• Lay the dough circle flat, center the tube on it, bring left edge onto tube, dab it with egg white, bring up right side of dough circle, dab it with egg white, and roll the tube; do not press the dough. You do not want the dough to be too tight on the tube, or you will have difficulty later getting your cannoli off. Be careful not to stretch the dough or pull it tightly. Avoid, as best as possible, getting egg white on the tube, or the cannoli will stick to it.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan.
• Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
• With tongs, remove the cannoli tubes, holding them straight up so that the oil flows back into the pan.
• Then drain the cannoli still on tube briefly in a metal bowl.
• While the cannoli shells are still hot, carefully slide the shells off the tubes by grasping each tube with a clean towel and gently twisting the cannoli shell off the tube with your other hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. On another work surface area, lay oilcloth or newspaper, topped with a large rack.
• When the cannoli shells are barely warm set them on top of the rack.
• It is important that the shells stay on the racks overnight.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough; set aside.
• The cannoli shells can be made up to 2 months before serving if you drain them properly overnight, and store them in sealed containers in a cool, dry place, but not in a refrigerator.
• To make the ricotta cream, put the thoroughly dry ricotta in a large mixing bowl with a wire whip and blend until creamy.
• Add the confectioners' sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon oil; blend until smooth.
• Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chocolate pieces. Store the ricotta cream in the refrigerator for 48 hours. After 48 hours, serve and freeze the rest.
• Frozen ricotta cream can be defrosted in the refrigerator later.
• To assemble, use a knife to push the ricotta cream into the cannoli shell.
• Place the cannoli on a serving platter and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
• Use within an hour.

CUSTARD CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Scald milk, being careful not to burn.
• Mix together sugar, flour and salt.
• Add eggs to flour mixture and beat well.
• Add slowly to milk, stirring constantly with whisk until thick.
• (Thickens rapidly).
• Remove from heat and add vanilla, orange rind and butter.
• Stir and cool.

CAKE AND CANNOLI CUSTARD CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Combine sugar, flour and salt in a pot.
• Whisk to combine well.
• Add milk gradually to get no lumps.
• Stir over medium heat until it thickens and comes to a low boil, about 10 minutes.
• Beat yolks in a bowl.
• Add some hot mixture into the bowl just a little to bring to a warm temperature.
• Add all back into the pot of mixture on the stove and continue to low cook until thick, do not boil.
• Remove and blend in the vanilla and pkg of dry pudding mix.
• Stir well until blended.
• Cool two hours, covered with saran (not to get a skin on top) or until cold.
• Beat nutri whip and then fold into the cold custard.
• Blending well, the cold mixture is hard to fold in( as it has set to a thick custard) so using beaters low speed is also good results.
• Fill cannoli-- or filling and topping for cakes.this should be stored in the refrigerator, because of the Nutri whip topping.
• I have never made this with reg. whipping cream, always Nurti Whip.