By Claire Saffitz, The New York Times
I have a burning desire to visit Sicily, which has a little to do with “The White Lotus” and a lot to do with a tube-shaped pastry made of fried dough and filled with ricotta: cannoli.
Last year, I came across a video of Nicola and Luca Petta, father-son bakers who own Extrabar, a pastry shop in Piana degli Albanesi, preparing their specialty, cannoli. In the video, Luca mixes and rolls the dough, punches out the shells, and fries them until they’re golden and blistered. The shells flare outward dramatically at the ends, creating more surface area to hold the creamy sheep’s milk ricotta filling.
I was captivated.
Extrabar’s cannoli looked nothing like the tough, often-soggy versions with too-sweet filling I’d eaten before. Knowing that a trip to Sicily wasn’t happening anytime soon, I set out to make my own version, inspired by the perfect simplicity of Extrabar’s. I bought a set of stainless-steel cannoli molds, needed to maintain the tubular shape of the dough during frying, and, after several rounds of testing, finally achieved the crisp-tender shell I desired.
The dough here is relatively simple and comes together easily by hand. Because it must be rolled out very thinly — more on why below — it’s kneaded for several minutes to develop the gluten it requires to extend without breaking. However, you don’t want too much gluten, which can make the resulting shells tough.
To create the necessary balance, cannoli dough contains two important ingredients: lard and wine. The lard (or another saturated fat, such as refined coconut oil) is worked into the dry ingredients so it coats some of the flour, which inhibits gluten formation and staves off toughness. The wine (red, white and Marsala are all common) contains alcohol, which hydrates the dough without developing gluten so it’s workable but not too strong.
In my research, I came across multiple theories about what produces cannoli’s bubbly exterior. Some sources said it was the result of the alcohol in the wine evaporating quickly on contact with the frying oil, others said it was prolonged kneading of the dough, which traps air bubbles. While there’s truth to both, all of my testing indicated quite simply that bubbles form when a well-hydrated dough is rolled very thinly and fried.
During rolling, the surface of the dough dehydrates slightly from exposure to the air and the flour on the work surface. When the dough hits the hot oil, the drier surfaces set, while the moisture trapped inside the dough turns to steam and puffs, creating lots of trapped air bubbles.
Repeated working causes gluten to contract and dough to spring back, so rolling cannoli dough sufficiently thin by hand is a two-step process (a pasta roller is a useful tool, but not necessary). First, the dough is rolled to about 1/8-inch thickness, then circles are punched out with a cutter. After letting the pieces rest on the work surface to help the gluten relax, each circle is rolled out again until it’s no more than 2 millimeters thick. The pieces are then formed loosely around the molds, which gives the dough space to bubble up and contract (as a result of moisture loss) during frying.
When lowering each piece of dough into the oil, grasp the ends of the mold with tongs and suspend it beneath the surface for several seconds — the dough will immediately puff and swell around the mold, preventing it from slipping out. Fry the shells thoroughly until they’re golden brown, turning them often to achieve an even color (the air bubbles will cause it to float), and remove them only when any bubbling has mostly subsided, a sign that most of the moisture has been driven off, and the shells will crisp as they cool.
Sheep’s milk ricotta is the traditional base for cannoli filling, but it is exceptionally hard to find in the United States. While cow’s milk ricotta won’t have the same richness or complexity, using the best-quality ricotta you can find will still make a delicious filling.
Different brands of ricotta vary significantly in moisture content, so strain yours until it’s very thick and dry, as adding sugar thins the consistency. I use powdered sugar, which reduces the need for lots of mixing that can further loosen the texture. Though some sources say the cornstarch in powdered sugar makes a starchy filling, I found it undetectable.
I flavor the ricotta lightly with honey, vanilla and citrus juice and zest, which step in for the traditional candied peel you often find in Sicilian recipes. But you could omit these and use different flavors or fold in mini chocolate chips, as is commonly done. Just be sure to fill the cannoli just before serving so the shells stay perfectly crisp. Though I still want to visit Sicily and go to Extrabar one day, these homemade cannoli will more than tide me over until then.
Recipe: Cannoli
By Claire Saffitz
Although the filling for traditional Sicilian cannoli is made with sheep’s-milk ricotta, which is a little funkier and more complex than its cow’s milk counterpart, it’s hard to find in the United States, so just look for the absolute best-quality whole-milk ricotta you can find (preferably one that’s locally made). The ingredients are fairly easy to find, but you will need some equipment for this recipe: a set of eight 5 1/2- to 6-inch cannoli molds, which you can easily purchase online.
Yield: 8 cannoli
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes, plus 8 hours’ chilling
Ingredients
For the shells:
- 1 cup (135 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon Morton coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ounce lard or refined coconut oil, chilled
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 8 cups neutral oil, such as peanut, for frying
For filling and assembly:
- 16 ounces (452 grams) best-quality whole-milk ricotta, scraped into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and drained in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours
- 1/2 cup (55 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juice
- Generous pinch of kosher salt
- Finely chopped pistachios, mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings, and/or candied citrus peel, for serving
Preparation
1. Prepare the shells: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the lard and use two knives or a pastry blender to cut it into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are about the size of a pea. Use your fingertips to further work the lard into the flour until the bits are about the size of a lentil. Create a well, then set the bowl aside.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg thoroughly, then measure out 1 tablespoon and add to the well along with the wine. Cover the remaining beaten egg and place in the refrigerator for forming the shells later. Use a fork to work the liquid into the flour mixture until it’s absorbed, then switch to your hands and knead the dough inside the bowl until it comes together and no dry spots remain.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it, using the heel of your hand to push it away from you, then fold it back onto itself in a repetitive motion, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking, until the dough feels elastic and is soft and supple, about 4 minutes. (The surface texture will still be a little rough.)
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 24.
5. Prepare the filling: Remove the drained ricotta from the refrigerator and discard any liquid it has released. (The volume will vary depending on the ricotta you’re using.) Use a flexible spatula to press the ricotta through the sieve into a large bowl, then add the powdered sugar, honey, vanilla extract, orange zest, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Whisk the mixture just until combined, then scrape the filling into a pastry bag or a large resealable plastic bag, working it into the point or a corner. Press out the air and twist the bag to seal, then transfer to the refrigerator.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and divide in half. Form the pieces into spheres, then set aside one of the pieces and cover with the plastic. Place the other piece on a lightly floured work surface and dust with more flour. Roll it out, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking, into a thin circle measuring about 10 inches across and 1/8-inch thick. Use a 4 1/2-inch round cutter to punch out 3 circles. (If you don’t have a cutter, you can use a small saucer or container lid and trace around it with a wheel cutter.) Lift the circles and place beneath the plastic alongside the other piece of dough, then gather the scraps and set aside.
7. Repeat the rolling process with the second piece of dough and punch 3 more circles. Keeping the circles covered, combine all the scraps and form into a ball. Roll out the scraps into an 1/8-inch-thick oval large enough to cut 2 additional circles, giving the dough a little more force since it will want to spring back on you more than the first 2 pieces. Discard any remaining scraps, then cover all 8 circles on the work surface and let them sit for 10 minutes so the dough can relax.
8. Place one of the dough circles on the work surface and roll over it with the rolling pin, working back and forth in a single direction and then in the perpendicular direction, lengthening it and thinning it out until you have a rhombus-like shape measuring no more than 2 millimeters thick and about 5 1/2 inches long in both directions. Place one 5 1/2- or 6-inch cannoli mold across the longest part of the dough, then bring one of the opposite sides of the dough up and over so the edge is resting on the mold. Brush the edge resting on the mold with a dab of the reserved beaten egg, then fold the opposite edge of the dough up and over the mold, pressing it onto the egg-coated surface and overlapping by about 1/2 inch. Press firmly on the overlapped dough to seal, then grasp the mold on either end and gently lift it (and the dough) off the work surface, then set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining circles of dough, molds and egg. Set the molds aside and let sit uncovered at room temperature while you heat the oil, then slide off the molds.
9. Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of 2 to 3 inches, making sure not to fill it more than halfway (you may not use all the oil; save it for another use). Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until the oil registers 325 degrees. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to heat until the oil registers 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with two layers of paper towels and set next to the stovetop.
10. Use a pair of tongs to grasp a mold by the ends and gently lift it (and the dough along with it) off the work surface and lower it into the oil so it’s submerged. Hold the mold in place with the tongs until the dough puffs, blisters and starts to turn a little golden, about 20 seconds. Gently release it into the oil, then repeat with 3 more molds. Fry the first 4 shells, gently turning them often so they cook evenly, until they’re blistered all over and deep golden brown and the bubbling has mostly subsided, about 2 minutes per shell. Keep an eye on the oil temperature, as adding the shells will cause it to drop. Increase the heat as needed to maintain a temperature of around 350 degrees. Lift the shells from the oil as they finish cooking, allowing any excess to drain into the Dutch oven, then transfer to the lined baking sheet. (If any molds slipped out of the shells during frying, remove them as well, making sure to let them drain.) Fry the remaining shells just as you did the first batch and transfer to the lined baking sheet. Turn off the oil and let the shells cool completely.
11. Remove the filling from the refrigerator and snip a 1-inch opening in the tip or corner. Generously pipe the filling into both ends of each shell, then coat the exposed filling in chopped pistachio or mini chocolate chips, or garnish with candied peel. Serve immediately.
Tips: The shells can be fried several hours before filling, but should be served the day they’re made. Keep them loosely covered at room temperature. The filling can be made 1 day ahead; keep refrigerated. Fill the cannoli just before serving.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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