Cannoli

Serves 8 people

Ingredients

For the Cannoli Dough

3 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup Sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 Tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
½ teaspoon salt
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
½ cup Marsala wine
1 Tablespoon vinegar
3 egg whites for sealing the cannoli dough
Extra flour for dusting
Oil for deep frying

For the Ricotta

1 gallon whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups buttermilk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ cup cream, whipped

For the Garnish

2 cups mini chocolate chips
powdered sugar

Special Equipment

Pasta machine
Cannoli molds
Fry pot
Frying oil
Spider
Pastry brush
Pastry bags
Pastry tips
Stand mixer
Cookie cutters

Instructions

For the cannoli dough

Sift together all dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you have pea size lumps. Making a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, add egg, yolk Marsala and vinegar. With a fork gradually mix the dry with the wet ingredients until completely incorporated. Knead dough for 8 minutes. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes.

With the pasta machine, roll dough through successively thinner settings until desired thickness. Dust with flour to prevent sticking. Lay dough on a flat surface and cut into 4-5 inch circles. Brush half of the circle’s edge with egg white and wrap around a cannoli mold. Seal the two ends together with fingers to wrap around the mold Deep fry at 375 degrees until crispy. Remove the molds.

For the ricotta

Heat the milk, cream and buttercream in a stainless steel saucepan over medium heat with a thermometer attached. Stir frequently. When the mixture reaches 165 degrees, add the lemon juice and give the mix one soft stir. Stop stirring and continue to cook to 180 degrees. At this point the curds and the whey should have separated. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Carefully remove the curds with a slotted spoon/strainer and transfer to a colander lined with cheese cloth. Tie the cloth up into a pouch with butchers twine and hang from a faucet for 1 hour. Chill.

When cool, fold in the powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon zest that has been julienned and whipped cream.

Fill a pastry bag with this sweet ricotta filling and chill until ready to fill cannoli.