Recipe for Cannoli Filling?

[halland]

Hello all,

I'll confess I'm a cannoli junkie. My wife is amazed how we can be in the middle of nowhere, and I'll disappear for 2 minutes and come back with a cannoli in my hand. Unfortunately the cannolis that I've had in Seattle are terrible. So this christmas I'm going to figure out how to do this myself.

For now I've just got store bought cannoli shells, so I'm just looking for your best filling recipe. In particular, I'm not looking for the authentic Sicilian version as much as I'm looking for the good New York/St. Louis style Italian-American version.

Thanks!

Hal

[reesek]

hal - they are awful here! sloppy and insipid without any of the richness of home (DC for me). i really can't offer help except to say that i sympathize. and i suspect you want a recipe with at least some marscapone - i think the texture here is too grainy. did you get the shells at di laurenti or boracchinis? i've found that boracchini's can be stale sometimes.

[halland]

I got two varieties at dilaurenti. I don't remember what kinds, but I'll post a followup after I've consumed them both.

I'm not sure most places use the mascapone, I think they just spend more time beating the ricotta to get the creamy consistency. I had one of Boracchini's cannoli's at the 2002 Seattle Italian festival (a sad affair, especially since I'd just come from NYC and the San Gennaro festival) -- it was terrible and I threw it out after 1 bite.

hal

[Moopheus]

I found this recipe scribbled on the inside of my mother's copy of Marcella Hazan's Classic Italian Cookbook.

500 gr. Ricotta, 250 gr. extra fine sugar, orange flower water, orange zest, chopped chocolate.

Mix until nice and creamy. You could add a little vanilla, or citron or lemon zest. Or bits of candied peel. There are other variations. It doesn't have to be very complex, just use good ricotta, mix well, and let it chill in the fridge before filling.

[JFLinLA]

The only thing I can add to this discussion is what they do at my favorite Italian bakery. The cannoli are not to be found in the case when you walk in. Ask for them, tell them how many you want, and they go to the back and fill them for you fresh. This way, the shells stay nice and crispy. Even if you order in advance, they don't fill the shells until you arrive for pick-up.

[reesek]

it is a crime to fill the shells before serving! come to think of it, the deli i used to get them had them in the case, but i think those were just for display - they always filled them fresh.

la medusa in columbia city makes an ok one (or they used to) - get it without the fruit.

[Wendy DeBord]

I also adore a good cannoli!! Theres a little Italian bakery in the Chicago burbs that make the BEST....knee weakening cannoli- it's called Visovios (spelled wrong I'm sure).

I've done my best to study theirs and ask questions of them....they are secretive. I really think its the riccotta that they buy that makes a difference from mine. They use a very fresh dry riccotta that you'd only find in a gourmet Italian store or at least that's what they told me.

Then they whip it with xxxsugar until it's very light in texture. I can't get their texture even though I've tried. I tried adding whipped cream-that's not right. I drain mine overnight then whip....thats about as close as I can get with reg. store bought. Of course they make their own shells which taste so mild and light which is different then store bought shells.

I add the smallest pinch of cinnamon to the filling, orange zest and chocolate bits. Sometimes a drop of vanilla too. Also for some reason their green dyed pistachios taste different then my freshly ground p. nuts I have......and I like the dyed green ones better on this, their blander.

If your ever in Chi town you must find this bakery, you'll think you died and went to heaven!

[elyse]

Am I alone in not liking any citrus element in my cannolis?

[halland]

Well the cannoli experiment was a huge success. I was told these were some of the best cannoli my guests had ever eaten.

Shells: I experimented with 2 brands. The better one was the Golden Cannoli brand. Their website is here..

Filling: I did a little googling and found this website, Cannoli-Enterprises. Its a little odd, but they have a good collection of recipes. I started with Marie Doria's Optional Americanized recipe and then just modified to taste. The secret to getting a non-grainy cannoli is to use good ricotta ('rigot' as my mother-in-law says). At my grocery they had a fresh ricotta that came in little plastic baskets set into a slightly larger plastic tub containing the whey. If someone really is interested I can write down the brand of the cheese the next time I'm at the store.

12oz of filling should do 6 shells.

1. Drain cheese for 3-4 hours.

2. Combine cheese with 2T. whipping cream, scant 1/4c. powdered sugar (add gradually to taste -- it may have been 1/8c.) and beat in the mixer on med-low for about 5 minutes. Taste and add sugar if necessary. Add 1-2 T. of grand marnier to taste.

3. Put in refrigerator overnight.

4. The next day stir in 1/2 ounce chopped chocolate and refrigerate for another hour before filling the shells.

Hal

[tsquare]

Unfortunately the cannolis that I've had in Seattle are terrible. 

Oh boy, a challenge. Where have you eaten them in Seattle? Can we hope someone will come up with a good version? They sell them at Gelatiamo, but I don't recall trying them. Otherwise, Remo's or DeL's, neither of which I would expect something decent. That leaves restaurants?

I saw a recipe in Batali's Holiday Cookbook that I was skimming through yesterday, but don't recall what he used. Yours, with orange and chocolate sounds good to me.

[halland]

What is called a cannoli at Gelatiamo is not a cannoli like you might expect. Its a pastry horn filled with pastry cream. I asked Maria, the owner of Gelatiamo, why they didn't have cannoli and she told me that she was sticking to the recipies of her region, Venice. Cannoli, being sicilian, fall outside that sphere.

I have heard that Salumi has cannoli on occasion, but I've never tried them.

Hal

[bripastryguy]

The ricotta you are looking for is called Impastata, it is a low moisture ricotta. If you want 10 pounds, We can work out a way for you to get it.

Call me @ 516-794-4478 Brian