Making Italian Cannoli??

Question

Does anyone know how to get the cannoli filling creamy? I am a pastry chef that has used every trick in the trade I know. Press the ricotta through a chin-wah and still came out gritty! Looking for that silky smooth texture!

Is it possible the real Italian bakeries are using an alternative cheese or possibly heavy cream or something to get the desired texture?

I don't need recipes because I have an excellent one! It's technique I'm looking for to get the desired consistency!

Answer 1

hi..i'm Italian and Cannoli are just made with Ricotta, sugar and chocolate
proportion between ricotta and sugar is 2:1 (so 1 kg ricotta and 0.5kg sugar)
you must just to knead very well ricotta and sugar and maybe after sift it...
but is just used fresh ricotta (humid and fat)...

Answer 2

I have had two types of cannoli's those made with
with ricotta cheese filling but my favorite is made with an
an Italian pastry cream. When I went to Italy they offered
both types of cannoli. Good Luck

Answer 3

try using more mascarpone, a bit of egg yolk, and look for a softer riccotta (whole fat, not light). whip the hell out of it, then pass it if needed.

Answer 4

here's a few choices for you. i hope this helps. good luck to you and i hope this makes it to your best answer.


popular in New York bakeries. I remember as a child growing up on Long Island seeing these delicious confections laid out in the cooled glass Cream Puff bakery cases. The ends were sprinkled with lime green or multicolored sprinkles. They were incredibly good.

This recipe makes 18 cannolis. You'll need to purchase the cannoli tubes, they are available at any kitchen supply store. The dessert filling requires constant refrigeration. To keep the pastry crisp only fill the pastry shells right before serving.

I hope you love these as much as I do !!

What you need:

Filling

3 cups Ricotta cheese (use the full fat kind)
1 1/4 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Finely chopped candied
Citron (optional)
1/4 cup Semi=sweet chocolate pieces

(having difficulty with the filling? - click here)
Pastry

3 cups Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Shortening
2 Eggs -- well beaten
2 tablespoons White vinegar
2 tablespoons Cold water
2 ounces Pistachio nuts
1 Egg white -- slightly beaten
What you do:

For filling:
Combine and beat until smooth (about 10 minutes with an electric mixer at medium-high speed). Stir in, mixing thoroughly, citron and chocolate pieces. Place mixture in refrigerator to chill.
For pastry shells:
Sift together first 4 ingredients into a bowl. Cut shortening in with a pastry blender until pieces are size of small peas. Stir in eggs. Blend in, a tablespoon at a time, the vinegar and cold water. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Use a small amount of additional flour if necessary to get a smooth dough. Wrap in waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Set out six aluminum cannoli tubes (6 inches long, about 3/4-inch diameter). Set out deep saucepan or automatic deep-fryer. Add vegetable oil (or half vegetable oil and half olive oil) and heat to 360 F. Cut an oval shaped pattern from cardboard (about 6 x 4 1/2 inches). Blanche pistachios in boiling water, then cool and finely chop pistachios. Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with a pastry cutter and using the oval pattern. Wrap dough loosely around tubes slightly overlapping opposite edges. Seal edges by brushing with egg white. press edges together to seal.
Fry only as many shells as will float uncrowded one layer deep in the hot oil. Fry about 8 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally in the oil. Drain over the pan before removing to paper toweling. Cool slightly and remove tubes, then cool completely. Continue forming and frying cannoli shells.
When ready to serve, fill with the chilled ricotta filling. Sprinkle ends with the chopped nuts and dust with confectioners' sugar.
Comments

Make sure you dry the ricotta...
From: Sue
I use to love when holiday's would come, when family members would get together and make all kind of pastry, knotts and brescotti and everyone's favorite cannolis. fillings would be from candied fruit to chocolate chips and sprinkles. But I do know that a couple days before they would put pounds of ricotta in a colandar covered in fridge to drain dry. My Mom use to say the ricotta had to be dry before making filling. That if ricotta was wet made for bad cannolis and would run out of pastry. So yesterday I did the old fashion way and put cheese in colandar inverted in large bowl covered with a dish towel and put in fridge to drain, because this weekend its my turn to make cannolis for family. Can't wait. Just a little bit of heaven! Thanks for web site!

Be sure to use confectionary sugar
From: Eleanor
One very important thing with the cannoli recipe is to make sure to use confectionary powdered sugar. If you use regular granulated sugar the cannoli will be grainy.

Peg's Connoli shells
From: Peg of PA
Cannoli shells....... I made them for Christmas and some I made with custard flavored with rum and some I made with ricotta cheese..The cheese you have to drain to get the water out first. I fill them with a pastry bag or I just cut the tip off of a zip lock bag and squeeze the cheese in both ends of cannoli shell.
Hope this helps you
Peg of PA

Donna's connoli shells from her mom
From: Donna

This is my mom's recipe was wonderful
CANNOLI SHELLS

Cream
3 T Shortening
4 egg yolks
4 T sugar
Add
4 C flou
1 1/2 tsp salt
Stir into the dough
1 C wine (not sure what kind) OR 1/2 C water and 1/2 C vinegar and juice from 1 orange
Mix until dough is ready to roll
Roll dough on floured surface very thin cut into 4" circle wrap circle of dough around rods so edges meet seal with egg whites with tong's drop into hot peanut oil 375 degrees
fry until lite brown cook in 2 qt pan enough oil only to top of shells.
Be careful not to get burned.
Lay rod on paper towel cool a bit and take off of rod.
cool thoroughly keep in a cool dry place in open container until ready to fill. makes about 80
Mom had stainless steel rods to fry the shells on.

ENJOY!!!
Donna
Is the filling too runny? Try my mom's recipe.
From: Donna
Regarding the cannoli filling I think the trick is that the ricotta cheese.

It has to be very dry here is what we could figure was my mom's recipe for the filling

6 c milk
14 T Cornstarch
8 T sugar
Scald 3 cups of the milk add cornstarch and sugar when well dissolved add the other 3 cups of milk stir constantly on medium heat cook until thick, taking care not to scorch the mixture cool until copletely cool then add the following to cool mixture:
1 # dry ricotta cheese
6T sugar
cream this until fluffy and then fold in
1 c shaved milk chocolate
1/2 C candied cherries or candied mixed fruit dip ends into ground almonds
or pistachios and the other end into shaven chocolate
Loved sharing this recipe!