Cannoli Hope
Cannoli Hope
Posted by LladyRusty at recipegoldmine
com on 1/29/2002, 1:47 pm
Source: WQED Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Magazine – by Chris Fennimore – wqed
org
My Aunt Amelia (actually my grandmother’s sister) joined our family almost every Sunday for dinner
Since she didn’t contribute to the making of the meal, she “did her share” by jumping up before anyone else to start the dishes and by bringing with her a box of pastries from the pasticceria near her house
After the table was reset for dessert, the white twine around the box was ceremoniously cut and we gathered around to see what constituted that week’s assortment
There might be a rum-soaked baba or some sfogliatelli with their crispy layers and cheesy filling
But I had my heart set on cannoli
For my young palate, there was nothing more pleasing or satisfying than that gossamer smooth cream, infused with the flavors of candied orange and chocolate bits, encased in the crunchy, bubbled shell
One day, my mother decided to make a batch of cream puffs
For the filling, she sweetened ricotta cheese with confectioners’ sugar, flavored it with rum and vanilla, and mixed in chocolate bits and chopped candied orange peel
I couldn’t resist dipping in a spoon and having a taste
That is the moment that destined me to love cooking
It was exactly the same cream as in the cannoli from the bakery!
I realized that it was possible to make the foods you love to eat
It sounds so simple — and yet it was a revelation filled with power
If you can make it, then you can make as much as you want, whenever you want
Mom made her cream filling several times a year for special occasions
We even bought her a set of the wooden dowels used to shape the cannoli skins for deep-frying
Since I’d just as soon have my cream served in a bowl with a spoon, I’ve forsaken the difficult-to-handle dough for the tubes and fashion them instead from pizzelles
Hot off the griddle, they can easily be shaped into tubes, crunchy cups or cones and you don’t have to wait for your Aunt Amelia to come over for dinner
Pizzelles
1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Ricotta Cream
2 pounds ricotta
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon rum or brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup candied orange peel, chopped
1/4 cup miniature chocolate bits
Pizzelles: Have ready a wooden dowel about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter
I cut up a wooden dowel into 5-inch lengths
Heat your pizzelle maker according to manufacturer’s directions
Melt and cool the margarine
Beat the eggs and sugar until light yellow and fluffy
Add the vanilla, and gradually stir in the melted margarine
Sift together the flour and baking powder
Add to the liquid mixture slowly while stirring, until the batter is even
Drop a teaspoonful of batter onto the pizzelle iron and cook about 30-40 seconds
Repeat until batter is used up
When you remove the pizzelle from the iron, wrap it around a wooden dowel and allow to cool until firm
Remove the dowel and store tubes in an airtight container until ready to fill
After filling, if desired, dips ends into about a 1/4 cup of chopped nuts (we used pistachios) or chocolate jimmies
Ricotta Cream: Put the ricotta in a strainer over a bowl and allow to drain in the refrigerator overnight
Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar, rum and vanilla extract
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve or a double layer of cheesecloth
Stir in the finely diced orange peel and the chocolate bits
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve
Servings: 48
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