Daring Bakers November Challenge

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Cannoli are known as Italian-American pastries, although the origin of cannoli dates back to Sicily, specifically Palermo, where it was prepared during Carnevale season, and according to lore, as a symbol of fertility. The cannoli is a fried, tube-shaped pastry shell (usually containing wine) filled with a creamy amalgamation of sweetened ricotta cheese, chocolate, candied fruit or zest, and sometimes nuts. Although not traditional, mascarpone cheese is also widely used, and in fact, makes for an even creamier filling when substituted for part of the ricotta, or by itself. However, cannoli can also be filled with pastry creams, mousses, whipped cream, ice cream etc. You could also add your choice of herbs, zests or spices to the dough, if desired. Marsala is the traditional wine used in cannoli dough, but any red or white wine will work fine, as it’s not only added for flavor or color, but to relax the gluten in the dough since it can be a stiff dough to work with. By the way, the name ‘Lidisano’ is a combination of Lidia, Lisa and Sopranos.

Download a PDF of Lisa Michele’s recipe and instructions or visit TheDaringKitchen.com.

Fact: Cannoli is the plural form of the dessert, cannolo

As for my results … I’m pretty pleased with them. Unlike the two other challenges I’ve done, this is the first time I feel like I actually accomplished what I set out to do. 1) Crispy, blistery shell. 2) Traditional, sweet-but-not-too-sweet filling. I followed the TDB (The Daring Bakers) recipe exactly, and the hints and tips which Lisa set out for us were right on. The dough was very stiff. Keep working it, Lisa told us, eventually it will give. And it did. I let the dough sit for quite a while (at least six hours), and let the ricotta drain for about 24-hours. Both helped a great deal, I think. The deep-fried shells were light and crispy. The tiny bit of cocoa and Marsala wine added a nice, complex flavor.

We enjoyed these as a Thanksgiving treat. I’m quite pleased that they turned out so well. I received compliments and a request for the recipe, as well as a declaration from the MIL that she would also try to make them. While I saw many of my fellow Daring Bakers go for nontraditional fillings, considering my in-laws’ Italian heritage I decided to go as traditional as possible. The filling includes ricotta cheese, confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest, mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. Maybe the big change was using part-skim ricotta cheese rather than the full fat!

As with every challenge thus far, this one did terrify me at first. Mainly because of the frying. I am not a fryer. It’s not in my blood to cook something in three inches of oil. I considered baking the shells instead. However, as part of my research into cannoli, I tasted one from DeLaurenti’s at Pike Place Market. After the first bite of possibly the best cannolo in town, I immediately knew that making the shells properly, in the fryer, was the only way to go.

Two questions I have for you. 1) What does one do with frying oil when one is done? and 2) Can you find me a cannolo better than the one I tasted at DeLaurenti’s?

Special thanks to my MIL, the cook of all cooks, for buying me cannoli forms! No need to hack something together, which I’m often prone to do.

P.S. For any of you who don’t know where the title of this post comes from … Shame on you. It is from one of the greatest movies ever made.