Lemon and pistachio cannoli | Uncategorised recipes | Jamie magazine (2024)

FAQs

Can I use mascarpone instead of ricotta in cannoli? ›

Yes, you can absolutely swap out ricotta for mascarpone when you're making cannoli.

Here are a few distinctions: The Venetian shell is in a cylinder shape while the Sicilian shell looks like a bow tie wrap. While the Sicilian dough is deep-fried, the Venetian dough is baked. The traditional Venetian filling is made of heavy cream cheese mixed with vanilla bean.

The crispy pastry shell is made with the usual suspects: flour, sugar, whole eggs, and butter. It's usually spiked with marsala, a fortified wine that adds distinct flavor and sweetness. The alcohol also helps tenderize the pastry, ensuring a pleasantly flaky finished product.

If you can find enough leaf lard to deep fry, go for it! But my favorite alternative is refined coconut oil. Like lard, it's solid at room temperature and liquid when warm.

Traditionally, cannoli filling is a sweet, simple filling made with ricotta cheese and powdered sugar. We also use vanilla and a hint of cinnamon in our cannoli filling recipe.

Philadephia cheese has a more acidic taste and a consistency that make it suitable for cheesecake but absolutely not for tiramisu. Its very easy to make mascarpone at home (500g fresh cream, 10g lemon juice and 82 degrees centigrade) so look up one of the dozens of recipes and don't try to substitute it.

In English, cannoli is used for the singular and the plural, but the plural cannolis is also common. In Italian, cannoli is plural; the singular is cannolo ( Italian: [kanˈnɔːlo]; Sicilian: cannolu, Sicilian: [kanˈnɔːlʊ]), a diminutive meaning 'little tube', from canna, 'cane' or 'tube'.

THE BEST RICOTTA CHEESE:

A huge component of this Homemade Cannoli Cream is, of course, the delicious Galbani® Ricotta Cheese. This rich and creamy cheese can be found in your local market's dairy aisle and is the perfect cheese to use for a delicious and rich cannoli cream.

A lesser-known type of cannoli, called Venetian cannoli, has a flaky puff pastry shell and is filled with vanilla or chocolate custard instead of ricotta. The classic flavors and textures of cannoli can also be translated into a cake or pie.

Assemble the cannoli yourself. Just before serving them. Or coat the inside with chocolate and let it solidify. The chocolate film protects the cannoli from getting soggy.

How unhealthy is a cannoli? ›

Made with sweetened ricotta cheese and deep-fried pastry shells, cannoli are typically high in calories. While these Italian desserts may be hard to resist, they're best left for rare occasions if you're trying to manage your weight.

A sour smell coming from the ricotta or the taste of stale oil from the shell is a sign that the cannoli needs to be discarded. And of course, evolving microbial colonies such as mold are definitive signs that the cannoli has gone bad.

Oil that is too cool will cook the dough in place without bubbling it up. It results in a shell that is crunchy and hard, not crispy and light. Oil that is too hot can burn your shells, but it can also create too much steam too quickly and puff up the shells in a bad way.

Another option is to use a little bit of flour or arrowroot powder. These ingredients will also help to thicken your filling and give it a more consistent texture. Finally, you can also try reducing the amount of liquid in your filling mixture, such as using less milk or cream cheese, to help it thicken up.

Too much moisture and you'll get a runny cannoli filling! The recipe here is for the filling. I use store-bought cannoli shells because it's easier.

Ricotta Cheese Substitutes Faq's

Some good alternatives include cottage cheese, cream cheese, mascarpone, or even tofu. Each has a slightly different texture and flavor, so you may need to adjust seasoning when swapping them in.

Mascarpone: Another Italian cheese, mascarpone makes a great ricotta substitute. However, since mascarpone is more tart and flavorful, you should only use it in dishes with other strong flavors. It may overpower milder ingredients.

The unique processes result in two very different products—mascarpone is a rich, decadent, and super spreadable cheese with a slight tang. Ricotta, on the other hand, has a lumpy, soft texture and mild, milky flavor.

Mascarpone lends a subtle tang and creaminess to tiramisu, but I by far prefer the smooth and subtle flavor that ricotta gives it. This is a tiny change, but it makes all the difference in the world. It's what makes this ricotta tiramisu just a bit special.