Cannoli Sicilian
by Rachel Lim
@ 05 Oct 2015
Shell Dough
250g flour
50g lard (or butter)
30g icing sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
30ml white wine vinegar
30ml dry Marsala
Corn oil, for deep-frying
Chocolate Ricotta Filling
750g ricotta
5g cocoa powder
1 tsp (each) cinnamon and
coffee powder
300g sugar
75g dark chocolate chips
20g candied orange peels
A few drops of lemon juice
For the shell dough: Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre of the flour. Add in the lard, icing sugar and salt and knead until a coarse and sandy texture is achieved. Add in the egg yolk, white wine vinegar and dry Marsala and knead until a smooth dough is achieved. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth and keep chilled in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Once chilled, roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to a (3-mm) thin sheet, and then cut into discs (7-cm diameter) with a ring cutter. Wrap each disc around a cannoli mould and brush with egg wash on the edge and pressing it over the mould to seal. Set aside. Heat the corn oil in a saucepan over a medium heat to 180°C. Use a pair of tongs to hold the edge of the mould and submerge the shell dough into the hot corn oil and deep-fry until crispy. Remove and grip the deep-fried shell dough in your other hand with a kitchen towel and carefully slide it off the mould. Set aside to cool.
For the chocolate ricotta filling: Whisk the ricotta in a mixing bowl until smooth. Sift in the cocoa powder, cinnamon and coffee powder. Add in the sugar and dark chocolate chips, candied orange peels and a few drops of lemon juice and stir well. Transfer the choclate ricotta mixture into a piping bag (without a nozzle) and keep chilled in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Pipe the chocolate ricotta filling into each deep-fried cannoli shell dough until mixture runs through the whole shell. Makes 24 tubes
