Sicilian cannoli with almond ricotta filling

Name: Sicilian cannoli with almond ricotta filling
Ingredients: 150g (5½oz) plain flour; 1 tsp caster sugar; 25g (1oz) lard or butter, melted; 25ml (1fl oz) white wine vinegar; 2 tsp honey; a pinch of cinnamon; 35ml (1fl oz) white wine; 500ml (18fl oz) vegetable oil for deep frying; 1 free-range egg white for sealing the dough; 750g (1lb 7oz) fresh ricotta; 125g (4½oz) icing sugar; 2 tsp almond extract; 150g (5½oz) caster sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon; 150g (5½oz) dark chocolate, melted; 1 tsp oil; 200g (7oz) pistachios, chopped

The gorgeous flavours in these Sicilian cannoli will completely blow you away! The almond ricotta filling is so moreish that we already want seconds.

Brought to you by Reka Csulak from Holy Whisk Blog

The gorgeous flavours in these Sicilian cannoli will completely blow you away! The almond ricotta filling is so incredibly moreish that we already want seconds.

Wow your guests (or treat yourself) with these stunning Sicilian cannoli by Reka Csulak from Holy Whisk Blog. Trust us, they taste as good as they look, and they look pretty incredible!

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Servings

Ingredients

For the cannoli

150g (5½oz) plain flour
1 tsp caster sugar
25g (1oz) lard or butter, melted
25ml (1fl oz) white wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
a pinch of cinnamon
35ml (1fl oz) white wine
500ml (18fl oz) vegetable oil for deep frying
1 free-range egg white for sealing the dough

For the almond ricotta filling

750g (1lb 7oz) fresh ricotta
125g (4½oz) icing sugar
2 tsp almond extract

To serve

150g (5½oz) caster sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
150g (5½oz) dark chocolate, melted
1 tsp oil
200g (7oz) pistachios, chopped

Instructions

For the cannoli shells

Combine the flour, sugar, melted lard or butter, vinegar, honey and cinnamon.

Add the white wine and mix into a smooth dough by hand.

Rest the dough for an hour in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm. Meanwhile, prepare the ricotta filling.

Roll the chilled dough out to 3-4mm (1/8-¼in) thick, dusting the work surface with flour when you are turning the dough so it doesn't stick. Use a small round cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough.

Roll the dough circles to get as thin oval shapes as you can create, around 1mm or less; it might be easier to do this on your work surface as it's a harder surface than a silicone rolling mat.

Wrap the thin dough discs around the cannoli moulds, then brush the overlapping edges with egg white to seal.

Deep-fry in hot oil until the cannoli tubes turn golden brown, then place them on a cooling rack.

To remove the mould, just gently squeeze the metal tubes, this way their diameter will be smaller and you can easily slide them out of the pastry.

For the almond ricotta filling

Use a hand mixer to soften the ricotta, then add the almond extract. Gradually add the icing sugar until it's a medium-stiff consistency.

Load the filling into a piping bag using a piping tip of your choice, then place it in the fridge until your cannoli shells are ready to fill.

To serve

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together, then cover the pastry tubes with it while they are still warm.

Melt the chocolate above steam, then add the oil. Dip the cannoli shells into the chocolate mixture, then immediately dip them into a bowl with the chopped pistachios. Put the pastry in the fridge for a few minutes until the chocolate sets.

Fill the pretty shells with the chilled almond ricotta filling, then they're ready to serve.