Sicilian Cannoli with Blistered Shells and Drained Ricotta Cream

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The real thing: a Marsala-spiked dough rolled paper-thin and fried until it blisters into brittle, bubbled tubes, then filled to order with sheep's-milk-style ricotta cream that has been drained overnight so it's dense and cool rather than watery. Pistachios at one end, candied orange at the other. Fill them minutes before serving and you get the shatter that pastry-shop cannoli are famous for and grocery-store cannoli never have.

Ingredients

• 2 lb whole-milk ricotta, best quality
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate (optional)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine (or dry white wine)
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten (for sealing)

• 6 cups neutral oil for frying, such as peanut or canola
• 1/3 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup candied orange peel, finely diced
• powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Drain the ricotta a full day ahead: line a fine-mesh sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth or a clean flour-sack towel, set it over a bowl, add the ricotta, fold the cloth over the top, and weight it with a small plate and a can. Refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. You should pour off 1/2 to 1 cup of whey; the ricotta will feel like soft cream cheese. This step is the difference between cannoli cream and ricotta soup.
2. Make the shell dough: whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the flour with your fingertips until no piece is larger than a pea. Whisk the whole egg, Marsala, and vinegar together, pour it in, and stir with a fork until a shaggy, stiff dough forms.
3. Turn the dough out and knead firmly on an unfloured counter for 5 to 6 minutes, until it is completely smooth and springs back when poked — it should feel like fresh pasta dough, not bread dough. Wrap tightly and rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour (or refrigerate up to 24 hours and let it sit out 30 minutes before rolling). The rest is what lets you roll it thin without tearing.
4. Finish the filling: scrape the drained ricotta into a bowl and beat with a spatula or hand mixer on low for 1 minute until smooth and glossy. Fold in the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, and chocolate chips if using. Taste and adjust sugar. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (or a zip-top bag with a corner cut off) and refrigerate until serving. Do not beat it warm or long — over-whipped ricotta turns loose.
5. Roll the shells: cut the dough into 4 pieces, keeping the rest wrapped. On a lightly floured counter, roll one piece as thin as you possibly can — 1/16 inch, thin enough to see the counter's shadow through it. If you have a pasta roller, run it down to the second-thinnest setting. Cut 4-inch rounds with a cutter or the rim of a glass, then stretch each round gently into a slight oval.
6. Wrap each oval around a lightly oiled metal cannoli form, overlapping the two ends by about 1/2 inch across the middle of the tube. Dab the overlap with beaten egg white and press firmly to seal — this seam must hold or the shell will unwrap in the oil. Keep the shells on a floured tray and covered with a towel as you work.
7. Heat 2 1/2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven to 360°F on a clip-on thermometer. Fry 2 or 3 shells at a time, turning them with tongs, for 2 to 3 minutes total, until deep golden and covered in blisters. Adjust the burner to hold 350 to 365°F; below that they drink oil, above that they darken before they blister.
8. Lift each shell out with tongs and stand it on a paper-towel-lined rack to drain for 60 seconds. While still warm but handleable, grip the form with a towel and gently twist the shell off. Wipe the forms, oil them lightly again, and reuse. Cool shells completely, at least 20 minutes — they crisp as they cool.
9. Fill only within 20 minutes of serving: pipe ricotta cream into one end of a shell until it reaches the middle, then fill from the other end so the cream meets in the center and mounds slightly proud at both openings. Press one end into the chopped pistachios and the other into the candied orange peel.
10. Arrange on a platter, dust generously with powdered sugar through a fine sieve, and serve immediately while the shells still shatter. Unfilled shells keep 3 days in an airtight tin at room temperature; the cream keeps 3 days covered in the fridge.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Frozen Chocolate–Caramel Peanut Nougat Bars

Blueberry Peach Buckle with Almond Streusel

Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem