I Cannoli Be Happy With You

My Valentine is known for a few signature food items amongst family, friends and students. Whenever there is a large crowd, he makes cannolis so it was fitting that I give him a cannoli for our anniversary. The cannoli filling is already made, and comes in large pastry bags so all he has to do is pipe the filling into the shells. The photo below is from Xavier's baptism. 

Sharing some history about cannoli - With the Arab introduction of sugar into Sicily in the 9th century, the cooking style of this three sided island changed forever. Ricotta had long been an essential part of the Sicilian cuisine as well as pine nuts and currants. Resourceful Sicilians added the neutral sweetness of sugar to these sample foods, wrapped them in a fried but delicate pastry "tube" and hence the birth of cannoli.

Originally enjoyed by Sicilians only at Carnival time, word spread quickly of their goodness. The wonderful legacy of this Sicilian invention now enjoys worldwide popularity.

There are many, many recipes for cannoli. Some sweet, some not so sweet. For the filling, the traditional ingredients are ricotta cheese, confectioner's sugar, ground cinnamon, finely chopped candied orange or lemon, and finely chopped chocolate. I usually omit the candied citrus and the chocolate. You can top ends of filled cannoli with your choice of decorations if you like. I have used chopped pistachio nuts. If you prefer, you can use Mascarpone instead of ricotta for the filling. When I serve cannoli to children, I use colored sprinkles on the ends. 

I am fortunate enough to live near Italian specialty stores and they stock the shells and filling. I do have the forms, and they work very well but I am usually short on time. Some prefer to use a pasta maker so the cannoli dough is the correct thickness.

I've used Sicilian style hand rolled cannoli shells, and they are excellent. When we were in New York City recently, I sampled cannoli, and these hand rolled shells taste very similar.

For a recent dinner party, I dipped the tips of the cannoli into melted dark chocolate and piped the filling. 

Thank you for your visit! I am joining Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.

Debbie

I'll bring the cannoli

 I'm sharing a small dessert table I put together for cannoli I made for a dinner party we attended this past Saturday evening. I hope you enjoy the visit!

Our friends decided on an Italian menu, which included Pepper, Sausage and Meatball rolls, Caponata appetizer, Cheese plate, Homemade Fettucine/Bolonaise Sauce, Meatballs, Sausage, Braciola, Dessert, Black Coffee and Cordials. I chose to make cannoli. Who can resist a cannoli! The hostess' mother and sister made Pizelle and "Pusties", officially called pasticciotti, an Italian custard-filled tart. Espresso and cordials were served with dessert. We did not leave hungry ;o)

 

Sharing some history about cannoli - With the Arab introduction of sugar into Sicily in the 9th century, the cooking style of this three sided island changed forever. Ricotta had long been an essential part of the Sicilian cuisine as well as pine nuts and currants. Resourceful Sicilians added the neutral sweetness of sugar to these sample foods, wrapped them in a fried but delictate pastry "tube" and hence the birth of cannoli.

Originally enjoyed by Sicilians only at Carnival time, word spread quickly of their goodness. The wonderful legacy of this Sicilian invention now enjoys worldwide popularity.

There are many, many recipes for cannoli. Some sweet, some not so sweet. For the filling, the traditional ingredients are ricotta cheese, confectioner's sugar, ground cinnamon, finely chopped candied orange or lemon, and finely chopped chocolate. I usually omit the candied citrus and the chocolate. You can top ends of filled cannoli with your choice of decorations if you like. I used some chopped pistachio nuts. If you prefer, you can use Mascarpone instead of ricotta for the filling. When I serve cannoli to children, I use colored sprinkles on the ends. 

I am fortunate enough to live near Italian specialty stores and they stock the shells so I just made the filling this time. I do have the forms, and they work very well but I was short on time. Some prefer to use a pasta maker so the cannoli dough is the correct thickness.

I used Sicilian style hand rolled cannoli shells, and they are excellent. When we were in New York City recently, I sampled cannoli, and these hand rolled shells taste very similar.

I dipped the tips of the cannoli into melted dark chocolate and piped the filling with my favorite gadget from Tupperware. 

Keeping with the Italy theme, I set up my dessert table with a Capodimonte pitcher that my mother purchased from QVC several years ago. When we were teenagers, my mom was a Capodimonte "collector". She always ordered it from QVC, and had a beautiful display in our home. However, she tired of it, so it has a new home. I was in a pink mood, so I brought out the pink depression glass plates in the Adam pattern made by the Jeannette Glass Company from 1932 to 1934. 

The vintage tablecloth was passed along to me when my mother and husband were clearing the contents from a relative's home in order to sell the home.  The buffet in the home was filled with vintage table linens, and I am like a kid looking through the plastic bin that I keep them in ;o)  The cloths are square which don't fit my dining room table, so I plan to use them for garden parties.

A close up shot of the beautiful cloth. I love the subtle sheen in the grid pattern.

I am joining Susan at BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday,
and Foodie Friday with Gollum.

Thank you for your visit!  I love reading your comments. 

Debbie

Cannoli

Here is the Second day of Christmas plate, from the collection that I bought at Williams-Sonoma last year. I love the french script and watercolor figures, representing verses from the traditional Christmas carol "Twelve days of Christmas."

I plan on using all twelve plates at some point during the Christmas season, and am saving the "first' day for something I am making on Thursday. You'll just have to stop back for another visit!

As the carol goes, "On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming....

And on the Second day of Christmas my true love sent to me.....Two Turtle Doves.....

Well, we had a craving for Cannolis!

We did have some chocolate Turtle candies, but Cannolis sounded better!

Close to home, there are wonderful Italian pastry shops and they make the best cannolis. But if you are adventurous like we are, you might want to make your own and there are several recipes on the internet you can use. I'm posting the recipe we use, and there are many variations. My husband is bringing the cannolis to a teacher's holiday luncheon. I just ate one, don't tell him :-)

INGREDIENTS:

Shells:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons shortening
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 egg white
1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

Filling:

1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese (we use Impastata from the Italian market)
1  1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup lemon and orange zest
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until it is in pieces no larger than peas. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, egg yolk, Marsala wine, vinegar and water. Mix with a fork until the dough becomes stiff, then finish it by hand, kneading on a clean surface. Add a bit more water if needed to incorporate all of the dry ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

2. Roll out dough on floured surface about 1/16" thick. Cut into 3 1/2" circle, and with a rolling pin roll into ovals. Wrap around cannoli forms; seal the edges with the egg white and flaor the ends slightly.

3. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep heavy skillet. Fry shells on the tubes a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Use tongs to turn as needed. Carefully remove using the tongs, and place on a cooling rack set over paper towels. Cool just long enough that you can handle the tubes, then carefully twist the tube to remove the shell. Using a tea towel may help you get a better grip. Wash or wipe off the tubes, and use them for more shells. Cooled shells can be placed in an airtight container and kept for up to 2 months. You should only fill them immediately or up to 1 hours before serving.

4. To make the filling, blend 2 lb (4 cups) ricotta until smooth. Fold in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 4 Tsp vanilla. Mix in 1/2 cup lemon and orange zest, and 1/4 cup chopped chocolate. Chill several hours or overnight.

I like to dust with additional confectioners' sugar, mixed with some cinnamon.

Thank you for stopping by!

Debbie