Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
Nothing ends a day with your family better than dessert. This cannoli is not only fun to make, but even better to eat. For those of you who don’t like anything too sweet, these are just right for you. They have a perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess. These cannoli got my whole family involved. From rolling to piping, these little things take all the hands you can afford.
Ingredients: Chef Pamela
125 grams flour
15 grams powdered sugar
250 grams vegetable lard or one block
2.5 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
15 ml white wine vinegar
15 ml dry marsala
1lb whole milk, ricotta cheese
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate drops
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
150 grams sugar
Directions:
Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
1. Put the ricotta cheese in a strainer and let it strain for an hour in the fridge. Once the cheese is strained, add the powdered sugar and mix them together. Once you get the sweetness you desire, add the chocolate chips.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
2. In a big bowl, sieve flour, salt, cinnamon, sugar and cocoa powder. Add 25 grams of the lard and the egg and mix. Then add the white wine vinegar and the marsala and mix until it is soft and elastic. This is the dough for the cannoli. Wrap it in saran wrap and let chill in the fridge for an hour.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
3. Once the dough is ready, roll it out with a rolling pin, or if you have a pasta roller use that. You want the dough thin. Then cut it into diamond shapes. You will need to have cannoli pins for this step.
4. Take the diamond dough and put the cannoli pin in the middle, then wrap the dough around the pin. Make sure you really squeeze the dough tight on the pin, or when you fry them they will come apart. You don’t want flat cannoli.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
5. In a deep pan, add the rest of the lard and heat up. You will be frying the dough in this. Take the shaped dough, pin and all, and drop into the hot lard. Make sure to take tongs and spin the pin so all the sides are fried. Pull them out once browned. You have to be careful not to have the lard too hot or the cannoli will burn.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
6. The cannoli shell should slide right off the pin even while it’s hot. Once cooled, put the ricotta in a piping bag and fill the shells with the cheese. Then sprinkle each end with the pistachios or whatever topping you like. You can dust with powdered sugar if you would like.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
This family event was one for the books. Cooking with the family always brings the best out in people. Everyone wants to be helpful, people don’t mind cleaning up and they are always grateful after the meal. Plus, you learn the most interesting things that you usually would not know. For example, my mom enjoys stirring things. That was her job; she stirred. So, find a few recipes and make a day out of it. Cooking with your family could become a regular thing for you. If you are still not comfortable in the kitchen, there are a lot of chefs who will come to your house and teach you how to make the meal.
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Kortni’s Kitchen: Cannoli
