Italian Pastry Cannoli Shells
2 cups of flour 2 tablespoons of shortening 1 teaspoon of sugar 1/4 teaspoon of salt 3/4 cup of Marsala, Burgundy or Chablis wine |
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Combine flour, shortening, sugar and salt and wet gradually with the wine. Knead together with fingers until a hard dough is formed. Form into a ball, cover with a cloth and let stand for about an hour. Cut dough in half and roll 1/2 of the dough into a thin sheet about 1/4 inch thick or less and cut into a 4 inch square. Place a metal tube diagonally across each square from one point to another, wrapping dough around by overlapping the other two points, sealing the overlapping points with a little egg white. Meanwhile heat vegetable oil in a large deep pan for deep frying. Drop 1 or 2 tubes at a time into the hot oil and fry gently on all sides until dough acquires a golden brown color. Cannoli Filling 1 - easy
2 pounds of Ricotta (must be dry) Two 8 ounces of packages cream cheese 1 cup of confectioners sugar 2 teaspoons of cinnamon oil 1 teaspoon of vanilla 2 ounces of miniature bittersweet chocolate morsels Dash of orange flavoring
Beat cream cheese until very creamy. Beat Ricotta vigorously for 2 minutes. Blend the cheeses together and add sugar, cinnamon oil, vanilla and flavoring plus chocolate morsels. Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour at least before filling shells. Filling will keep at least 3 days in refrigerator. Cannoli Filling 2, a bit more difficult 2 pounds of *Impastata (you can buy this at Pastosa) 1 pound of confectioners sugar 2 drops cinnamon oil 1/2 cups of chocolate chips 3 tablespoons of chopped hazelnuts 2 teaspoons of vanilla
Blend and beat until creamy and fill your cannoli shells. |