Classic Cannoli Alla Siciliana Recipes

CLASSIC CANNOLI ALLA SICILIANA

Steps:

• 1 Combine the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, espresso and salt in a food processor; pulse until thoroughly combined
• 2 Add the butter and pulse to incorporate
• 3 Add 6 tablespoons of Marsala and pulse until the mixture begins to come together
• 4 If necessary, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of Marsala to make a firm yet tender dough
• 5 Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead for a few minutes, until it is mostly smooth and elastic
• 6 Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days
• 7 The easiest way to roll out the dough is with a pasta machine
• 8 Divide the dough in half
• 9 Re-wrap one half and flatten the other with your palm
• 10 Feed the piece of dough through the widest setting, fold it in half and repeat
• 11 Adjust the roller to the next narrower setting and pass the dough through once
• 12 Adjust to the next narrower setting and repeat
• 13 Continue to roll until the dough is stretched to about 1/16-inch thick
• 14 Lay the strip of dough on the work surface - although it will be slightly tacky there is no need to flour the surface
• 15 Using a 3 3/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut as many rounds as you can
• 16 Gather up the scraps and wrap them in plastic wrap to re-roll later
• 17 Roll out the second piece of dough into a 1/16-inch-thick strip and use the cookie cutter to cut out 3 3/4-inch rounds
• 18 Gather up the scraps and knead them together with the reserved scraps
• 19 Roll this piece of dough through the pasta machine, stretching it as with the other pieces, and cut the strip into rounds
• 20 You should end up with a total of 20 to 24 rounds
• 21 Pour the oil to a depth of at least 2 inches into a heavy pot (such as a 9-inch enameled cast-iron pot)
• 22 Place over medium-high heat and heat the oil to about 375 degrees
• 23 Set a wire cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet
• 24 Wrap a round of dough around one of the cannoli molds, overlapping the edges and sealing them with a little egg white
• 25 (Don't roll the dough too tightly around the tube or it will be difficult to slide the shell off once it's fried
• 26 ) Press the edges with your fingers to make sure they are well sealed
• 27 Carefully slide one or two cannoli tubes into the hot oil and fry 45 to 60 seconds, until nicely browned
• 28 Use metal tongs to move the tubes around as they fry to prevent the cannoli from scorching on the bottom
• 29 Lift the cannoli tubes out of the oil with the tongs and set them on the cooling rack
• 30 Use the tongs to carefully slide the fried shells off the tubes and let the tubes cool briefly before using again
• 31 Continue until you have fried all the cannoli shells
• 32 Let cool completely before filling
• 33 To fill, fit a pastry bag with a wide tip and fill with Ricotta Cream (see related recipe)
• 34 Pipe into both ends of the cannoli shells, taking care to fill the interior
• 35 Or use a small spoon to spoon the filling into both ends of the shells, pushing the cream inside as you go
• 36 To serve, dust the filled cannoli with confectioners' sugar
• 37 Garnish the ends with an optional sprinkle of mini chocolate chips, cacao nibs, chopped pistachios and/or or chopped candied orange peel
• 38 Serve right away to keep the cannoli from turning soggy