“Leave the pistol, take the cannoli.”
I had my first Cannoli today. Ends dipped in chocolate, with a thick, lush cream in the middle.
Heaven.
The Don is very wise.
I’m sorry you had to live all this time without tasting one! However, beware: all cannoli are not created equal. Sometimes the creamy filling is not so lovely; depends on the quality of the ricotta I think.
Personally I prefer the ends dipped in chopped pistachios.
Order more here. You’re welcome.
The Don doesn’t get his hands dirty like that anymore - that was Clemenza.
Right, and he would have been in deep trouble with his wife if he had failed to bring home the cannoli.
And I believe it was an improv line.
The one time I had a cannoli – at some place in Boston that was supposed to be great, where we had to wait in a mob-line for half an hour – the filling tasted like Crisco with maybe a little vanilla flavoring added. I ate about three bites then threw it in the garbage.
The cannoli I’ve had came from http://romapizzaandpasta.com/ and it’s great. It may be near you but if not it’s worth a drive to Nashville! 
Mike’s Pastry? That’s the standard tourist trap bakery in the North End. They were fantastic at one time, but as happens often, success led to a decline in quality, or at least in consistency.
Probably Mike’s Pastries - but they’re pretty good actually. Not sure what was wrong with the one you got. I prefer Modern Pastry, but Mike’s isn’t bad.
Probably. I was with a gaggle from out of town with one or two locals, and I wasn’t paying that much attention to where we drifted to.
Mine was from Publix.
Cannoli filling varies widely between recipes. It is usually one or more of the following:
- Ricotta
- Mascarpone
- Whipped cream
(Watch, someone will come running in to tell us how they use custard or something instead of any of these.)
Especially with whipped cream recipes, the amount of stirring by the baker can have a huge influence on the final texture of the filling. The lighter the filling, the more whipped cream was used in it. (I’m actually happy with cannoli that are only whipped cream).
Ricotta, in my experience, always gives you something of a grainy texture. It’s the nature of the cheese. If you’re thinking of something smooth and creamy, my first assumption is that mascarpone was used instead.
Correct me if I’m wrong, Sandy, but doesn’t Cannoli filling contain milk?
Here’s a list of many variations on the filling, and one uses “pastry cream” made with egg yolks and milk: http://www.mangiabenepasta.com/cannoli.html
So there you have it. Like most Italian foods, the only correct way is how your grandmother did it. And if you’re a true Italian, you are willing to fight to the death defending her method.
Food with a movie tie in? Off to Cafe Society!
I was always confused, due to my lack of proper dietary habits.
I didn’t know the difference between a cannoli and a cannelloni
Which led to trying to figure out what to get for a pasta, vs. a dessert…
Yep.
From here:
When I worked as a pastry chef at an Italian dessert shop, it was the cannoli filling that all the staff would get caught eating out of the walk-in-fridge (squeezed out of a pastry bag, not double-dipping spoonfuls).
The basic Italian recipe really is simple and sublime. Here’s the reduced-in-size recipe. Double or triple or quadruple it:
Cannoli Filling:
1 lb ricotta cheese - beat in mixer until it’s as smooth as it’s going to get. (A stick blender could work; I never tried it as the batches I made were way too large.)
Add sugar to taste: 1 - 2 tablespoons, or to your liking.
Add some vanilla extract - maybe 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste.
Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon (this is what gives it that cannoli-filling taste).
Add 1/4 cup chopped-up chocolate chips or use mini chips.
Fill cannoli shells just before serving (they get soggy fast), using a pastry bag or a ziplock bag with a corner cut off, and dip the ends in chopped pistachios if you want to get all fancy.
You can add anything else you want to it, but it doesn’t need anything.