Damiono Carrara’s Sicilian cannoli
When he's not judging the contestants on Bake Off Italia, he's making wedding cakes for Hollywood's finest. But today he's swapping all that to whip up a sweet Italian treat - his classic Sicilian Cannoli.
Sicilian Cannoli
Makes 60
Ingredients
For the cannoli shells: 30g lard or butter30g sugarZest of ½ lemonZest of ½ orange2g cinnamon 1g salt 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk250g cake flour50g marsala wine10g white vinegarEgg white Oil for frying
For the ricotta filling: 250g fresh ricotta, strained 50g fresh double cream25g sugarDark chocolate, choppedCandied oranges, chopped
To garnish: Ground pistachios Icing sugar
Method
1. To make the cannoli shells, first rub together the lard and the sugar, then mix in the zest, cinnamon, and salt, followed by the eggs and finally the flour. Mix to combine, then pour in the marsala and vinegar. Knead all the ingredients together to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge to rest for a few hours.
2. Unwrap the dough and use a rolling pin to flatten until very thin, approximately 1mm thick. Cut out 10x10cm squares and carefully roll each around a cannoli tube, using egg white to stick.
3. Preheat enough oil to fill a saucepan to 180C and carefully fry the cannoli shells until they are golden and crispy.
4. To make the ricotta filling, mix together the ingredients in a large bowl and transfer to a pastry bag.
5. Pipe the filling into the cannoli, and dip each in the ground pistachios. Sprinkle over some powdered sugar and serve.
Damiano’s top tips:
If the dough is a little dry, add a bit more marsala and vinegar - it should be moldable without breaking too much.
Adjust the size of the squares you cut according to your cannoli tube, to make sure you get a good ratio of filling to pastry.
If you can’t get a cannoli tube, you can cut them into strips, or even as scraps, and fry them flat. You will get lovely crunchy crisps to top with your filling!