Cannoli Iii Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until it is in pieces no larger than peas. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, egg yolk, Marsala wine, vinegar and water. Mix with a fork until the dough becomes stiff, then finish it by hand, kneading on a clean surface. Add a bit more water if needed to incorporate all of the dry ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Divide the cannoli dough into thirds, and flatten each one just enough to get through the pasta machine. Roll the dough through successively thinner settings until you have reached the thinnest setting. Dust lightly with flour if necessary. Place the sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a form or large glass or bowl, cut out 4 to 5 inch circles. Dust the circles with a light coating of flour. This will help you later in removing the shells from the tubes. Roll dough around cannoli tubes, sealing the edge with a bit of egg white.
• Heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) in a deep-fryer or deep heavy skillet. Fry shells on the tubes a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Use tongs to turn as needed. Carefully remove using the tongs, and place on a cooling rack set over paper towels. Cool just long enough that you can handle the tubes, then carefully twist the tube to remove the shell. Using a tea towel may help you get a better grip. Wash or wipe off the tubes, and use them for more shells. Cooled shells can be placed in an airtight container and kept for up to 2 months. You should only fill them immediately or up to 1 hours before serving.
• To make the filling, stir together the ricotta cheese and confectioners' sugar using a spoon. Fold in lemon zest and chocolate. Use a pastry bag to pipe into shells, filling from the center to one end, then doing the same from the other side. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar and grated chocolate for garnish when serving.

Steps:

• For the shell dough: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter pieces into the flour with your fingers until the mixture becomes coarse and sandy. Add the egg yolk and the white wine and mix until it becomes a smooth dough. Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and place the dough in the center. Wrap the plastic loosely around it and press the dough to fill the gap. Flattening the dough will mean less rolling later. Let it rest in the fridge for a few minutes while you make the filling.
• For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Mix to blend. In a separate bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the heavy cream until fairly stiff. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Lightly zest the exterior of the lemon and stir it into the ricotta. Refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.
• To roll and fry the shells: In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the canola oil to 360 degrees F. Meanwhile, sift an even layer of flour on a flat surface. Flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough until it is very thin (about 1/8-inch thick). Cut the dough into fourths and work in small batches. Use any glass or small bowl that has a 3-to-4-inch diameter. Cut rounds, tracing around each one to assure the dough has been fully cut. You should have about 24 circles. Wrap each circle around a cannoli mold. Use a little of the egg wash on the edge of each round to seal it shut and to assure it won't slide or fall off the mold before pressing it closed over the mold. Flare the edges out slightly from the mold. Flaring will allow the oil to penetrate each cannoli shell as they fry. Use a pair of tongs to hold the edge of the mold as you submerge and fry the shell in the oil until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil, and holding the mold in one had with your tongs, gently grip the shell in your other hand with a kitchen towel and carefully slide it off the mold. Set aside to cool. Repeat with all of the circles.
• To fill the cannolis: Just before serving, use a pastry bag without a tip to pipe the ricotta into the cannoli molds. Fill the cannoli shells from both ends so the cream runs through the whole shell. Dust with powdered sugar. Powdered sugar gives that little extra sweetness and added texture to the exterior. It also makes me feel like I have a professional bakery touch in my own home. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Beat ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Stir in mixed peel and chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
• Mix flour, Marsala wine, butter, sugar, and vinegar together in a bowl to make cannoli dough. Wrap in plastic wrap; let rest for 30 minutes.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into twenty 4-inch squares. Wrap each square around a metal tubular mold, overlapping ends and dabbing with warm water to seal.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower some cannoli molds into the hot oil; cook until shells are golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining cannoli molds. Cool briefly; twist molds carefully to remove shells. Let shells cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Fill cooled cannoli shells with ricotta filling using a spoon or piping bag. Arrange cannoli on a serving platter. Garnish with pistachios; sprinkle 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar on top.

Steps:

• For the shells: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Add in the butter and egg yolk. Pulse until the mixture looks like grated cheese. Add in the marsala and pulse. Add a few drops of water and pulse. Continue to do this until the mixture comes together in a ball. You may not need to add all of the water.
• Dump the mixture out onto a clean work surface. Work the mixture gently into a ball and squish into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap until ready to use.
• Place the oil in a large, wide pot and bring to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Set a cooling rack over a sheet pan.
• To roll the dough out by hand, dust a work surface lightly with flour. Cut the dough in half; start with half the dough and keep the other half covered until ready to use. Roll each half out to 1/8-inch thick.
• If using a pasta roller, set the pasta roller on the widest setting (number 1). Use your hands to flatten the dough as much as you can to facilitate it going through the pasta roller. Run the dough through the roller twice, dusting it with flour in between rolls if it feels sticky, and then fold in half. (When rolling out pasta dough, always hold the pasta on the tops of your hands with your palms down. If you hold it fingers up you will create stretch marks). Move the roller to the next setting (number 2) and run the dough through. Continue to run the dough through the machine, reducing the opening (or moving the setting to the next largest number) in between every roll. Stop when you get to the correct thinness, this will be around number 5 on the dial, but every machine is different and you will have to be the judge of your own thickness.
• Using a pastry wheel, cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Keep the squares covered until they are ready to be fried. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.
• Beat the egg white with 2 tablespoons of water.
• Wrap the first batch of dough squares around metal cannoli tubes so that the points of the square overlap to close. Brush the overlapping points with the beaten egg white to seal shut and press to secure.
• Fry the dough shells in the heated oil until they are brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Use tongs to remove the shells from the oil and drain on the cooling rack. When the shells and tubes have cooled enough to handle, gently slide the metal tubes out of the shells. Repeat the process with the remaining dough squares.
• For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix together until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chocolate chips and taste to make sure it is delicious. Place in a pastry bag with a large enough tip to allow the chocolate chips to pass through.
• To assemble: Pipe the filling into the shells and sprinkle each end with a few more chocolate chips. Dust with powdered sugar. Do not fill them until you plan to serve them or the shells will get soggy.