Sicilian Cannoli

Serves: 6

Alessia Franecki

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

51

Spice

55

Sweetness

50

Sourness

42

mins

Prep time (avg)

4.1

Difficulty

Ingredients:

3 tbsps

Sugar

1 tsp

Cinnamon

1 tsp

Salt

1 tsp

Baking Soda

450 g

Lard (cold)

1 large

Egg (separated)

3 cups

Vegetable Oil

Directions:

1

Make dough for shells: Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda

2

Add 2 tablespoons lard and blend in with your fingertips until combined

3

Add wine and yolk and stir until a dough forms

4

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes

5

Form dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then let stand at room temperature 1 hour

6

Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda

7

Add 2 tablespoons lard and blend in with your fingertips until combined

8

Add wine and yolk and stir until a dough forms

9

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes

10

Form dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then let stand at room temperature 1 hour

11

Make filling while dough stands: Beat together ricotta, goat cheese, confectioners sugar, orange peel, orange-flower water, and cinnamon in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed 1 minute (do not overbeat)

12

Fold in nuts and chocolate until combined and chill

13

Beat together ricotta, goat cheese, confectioners sugar, orange peel, orange-flower water, and cinnamon in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed 1 minute (do not overbeat)

14

Fold in nuts and chocolate until combined and chill

15

Make shells: Set smooth rollers of pasta maker at widest setting

16

Unwrap dough and cut in half, then lightly flour 1 piece (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap)

17

Flatten floured dough into an oval and feed through rollers

18

Turn dial down 2 notches and feed dough through rollers again

19

Continue to feed dough through rollers, making space between rollers narrower by 2 notches each time, until narrowest setting is used

20

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap

21

Transfer rolled dough to a lightly floured surface and cut out 4 or 5 rounds with floured cutter

22

Transfer rounds to baking sheet and keep covered with more plastic wrap

23

Roll out remaining dough and cut rounds in same manner

24

Gather scraps and let stand 10 minutes

25

Roll out scraps and cut in same manner

26

Heat remaining lard with 1 1/4 inches oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until it registers 350°F on thermometer

27

Meanwhile, lightly oil cannoli tubes

28

Lightly beat egg white, then brush bottom edge of 1 dough round with egg white

29

Wrap dough around a tube, overlapping ends (egg-white edge should go on top), then press edges together to seal

30

Make 5 more shells in same manner (keep remaining rounds covered with plastic)

31

Fry dough on tubes 1 at a time, turning with metal tongs, until 1 shade darker, about 45 seconds

32

Wearing oven mitts, clamp end of hot tubes, 1 at a time, with tongs and, holding tube vertically, allow shell to slide off tube onto paper towels, gently shaking tube and wiggling shell as needed to loosen

33

(If you allow shell to cool it will stick to tube and shatter when you try to remove it

34

) Transfer shells to paper towels to drain and cool tubes before reusing

35

Wrap remaining dough around tubes and fry in same manner

36

Spoon filling into pastry bag and pipe some into 1 end of a cannoli shell, filling shell halfway, then pipe into other end

37

Repeat with remaining shells

38

Set smooth rollers of pasta maker at widest setting

39

Unwrap dough and cut in half, then lightly flour 1 piece (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap)

40

Flatten floured dough into an oval and feed through rollers

41

Turn dial down 2 notches and feed dough through rollers again

42

Continue to feed dough through rollers, making space between rollers narrower by 2 notches each time, until narrowest setting is used

43

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap

44

Transfer rolled dough to a lightly floured surface and cut out 4 or 5 rounds with floured cutter

45

Transfer rounds to baking sheet and keep covered with more plastic wrap

46

Roll out remaining dough and cut rounds in same manner

47

Gather scraps and let stand 10 minutes

48

Roll out scraps and cut in same manner

49

Heat remaining lard with 1 1/4 inches oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until it registers 350°F on thermometer

50

Meanwhile, lightly oil cannoli tubes

51

Lightly beat egg white, then brush bottom edge of 1 dough round with egg white

52

Wrap dough around a tube, overlapping ends (egg-white edge should go on top), then press edges together to seal

53

Make 5 more shells in same manner (keep remaining rounds covered with plastic)

54

Fry dough on tubes 1 at a time, turning with metal tongs, until 1 shade darker, about 45 seconds

55

Wearing oven mitts, clamp end of hot tubes, 1 at a time, with tongs and, holding tube vertically, allow shell to slide off tube onto paper towels, gently shaking tube and wiggling shell as needed to loosen

56

(If you allow shell to cool it will stick to tube and shatter when you try to remove it

57

) Transfer shells to paper towels to drain and cool tubes before reusing

58

Wrap remaining dough around tubes and fry in same manner

59

Spoon filling into pastry bag and pipe some into 1 end of a cannoli shell, filling shell halfway, then pipe into other end

60

Repeat with remaining shells