Daring Bakers: Cannoli

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time:
Dough – 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling – 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying – 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble – 20–30 minutes

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams/8.82 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners’ sugar

CANNOLI FILLING
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note – If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3. Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well oiled.). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

6. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

7. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm.(The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:
1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

Let’s just say this challenge was a labor of love. If you’re looking for an upper-body workout,  just give rolling this cannoli dough a try. It wore me out, but not before I forced it into submission.

Instead of purchasing cannoli forms, my dear husband fashioned some for me by cutting a wooden dowel (1-inch in diameter) into 4-inch long pieces. I oiled the wooden forms liberally with vegetable oil and they worked like a charm.

As you can see, I chose a sweet filling for my cannoli – a traditional ricotta filling with mini chocolate chips. Whether your sweet tooth is jonesin’ for more tasty confections or you’re in the mood for some savory cannoli, venture over to the Daring Bakers’ blogroll and take a peek at what the rest of the gang’s up to. Have a great week!

Update: After checking out some of the other Daring Bakers’ cannoli, I felt mine were a little too “vanilla”. I used the same filling, but dipped the ends of the cannoli in chocolate. Here are my jazzed up cannoli – white chocolate & pistachio, white chocolate with mini chocolate chips, chocolate & coconut, and last but not least, chocolate with candied orange peel. The kitchen stills smells citrusy, ahhh!

TWD: Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake

I’m a day late (no surprise there) and a dollar short. Actually, quite a few dollars short after making Dorie Greenspan’s chocolate caramel chestnut cake. The ingredient list for this cake is a whopper, but so worth it!

Consider yourself warned – this is quite possibly the richest, most sinfully decadent cake ever baked. If your self-control is hanging by a thread (as mine always seems to be), then read no further because there is no way you’ll be able to resist this delectable masterpiece.

We have Katya of Second Dinner to blame thank for this Tuesdays With Dorie temptation. All joking aside, great choice, Katya. And how seasonally appropriate!

I began to fret when I couldn’t find sweetened chestnut spread with vanilla through any of my local retailers and of course I waited to the last minute to do my shopping so purchasing it online was not an option. Luckily, April of Short + Rose came to my rescue with a recipe for homemade chestnut spread:

7.4 oz. jar of chestnuts
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. heavy cream

Thanks, April, it worked like a charm!

There are 4 – 5 elements to this cake (depending on whether you use storebought chestnut spread or make your own), all of which can be made ahead of time allowing you to work on it in stages. As I may have mentioned before, I am a glutton for punishment. So, did I make any of these elements ahead of time? No. Did I do my shopping in advance? No. Instead, I decided to run around town like a mad woman scrambling for obscure ingredients the day of our 2nd annual pre-Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Crazy!

At any rate, I was able to procure everything I needed, make all five elements of the cake, make three dishes for the potluck, and even squeeze in a trip to the salon for a new ‘do before the party. Be wise and do as I say, not as I do. Next time, I’ll make the ganache and glaze in advance.

Speaking of the ganache, it is to die for. Somehow, I managed to limit myself to licking only the spoon and the mixing bowl. Yes, for one brief moment I was a shining example of self-control. Then, I made the glaze and indulged in more spoon and bowl licking. So much for restraint! But perhaps my favorite part was painting the chestnuts with edible gold dust. I felt like a professional baker for a minute there. I wish! Well, a girl can dream…

The cake was a hit at the party! My guests were quite intrigued by the gold chestnuts and more than a little impresed I do believe. While this is not a cake I’ll bake frequently, this recipe is one I’ll keep for those occassions where I’m looking for some “wow factor”.

You can find the recipe on Katya’s blog and, as always, spread some love to my fellow TWD bakers by visiting our blogroll.

Since Thanksgiving is upon us, I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude for the blessings in my life. I’m thankful for my husband/sous chef/photography assistant, for our family and friends, our sweet pups, our health, and our home. This year perhaps more than ever, I’m aware of just how blessed we are. I’m also thankful to be amongst such friendly, talented, creative, and knowledgeable bakers and I look forward to baking with you all throughout this holiday season. I wish you all…

Happy Thanksgiving!

TWD: All in One Holiday Bundt Cake

This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie is also a Tuesdays With Kevin as he was instrumental in baking Dorie’s All in One Holiday Bundt Cake which was selected by Britin of The Nitty Britty. I apparently lost my mind Sunday night and thought it would be a great idea to make this cake while making sushi for the first time. Crazy!! Never fear, husband to the rescue. He slices cranberries in the blink of an eye, chops pecans faster than a speeding bullet.

I doubted this cake could compete with last week’s fabulous cran-apple crisp. Boy, was I mistaken! If you’re finalizing your Thanksgiving Day menu, make sure there’s room on your table for this festive bundt cake. The maple icing embodies all that is wonderful about this time of year. It just makes me want to throw on a scarf and go for a walk with the husband & pups on a brisk Autumn morning as the few remaining leaves rustle in the trees. Oh, how I love Fall! But I digress…

I cannot emphasize enough how much you need this recipe so hop over to Britin’s right away. Wanna see what the rest of the TWD gang is up to? Then, check out our blogroll.

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for next Tuesday? It’s a recipe I have been dying to make ever since I first laid eyes on the mouth-watering picture in Baking: From My Home to Yours…Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake! Thank you, Katya, for choosing this drool-worthy chocolate cake. Now I’ll be singing The Christmas Song the rest of the day. ”Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose…”

Daring Cooks: Sushi

I have been wanting to make my own sushi for quite some time, but I hadn’t been able to muster up my courage. Lucky for me, I’m a Daring Cook. The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was brought to you by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge.

The challenge consisted of four parts: 1) sushi rice, 2) dragon rolls, 3) spiral sushi roll, and 4) nigiri sushi. After investing an hour and a half just to prepare the sushi rice, I vowed never to complain again about the wait at my favorite sushi joint.

Smoked salmon, cucumber, avocado…need I say more? Although my “dragon” has a face only a mother could love, I’m still proud of it. Who cares about looks when it tastes so good, anyway?

The spiral roll was the most challenging of them all for me. Actually, I have a confession to make – I enlisted the help of my gracious husband on this one. I committed a rookie mistake and overfilled my spiral roll. I know, I know…less is more. But you should know how hardheaded I am by now.

I used sashimi grade tuna for both the spiral roll and the nigiri. The nigiri proved to be the easiest for me as it does not involve rolling, but rather a hand-shaped roll. Next time, I will forgo the thin line of wasabi on top of the rice that binds the sashimi to it. Let’s just say, husband and I will have no sinus issues for the next decade. I rounded out the meal with a little seaweed salad and some miso soup (thank you, Fresh Market!).

If you want some full on food porn complete with fantastic sushi recipes, visit Audax and Rose. As if that’s not enough to satisfy your hunger, check out the rest of the gang on the blogroll. Join me Tuesday for a very festive bundt cake that’s sure to get you in the holiday spirit.

TWD: Cran-Apple Crisp and Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

I bet you thought I’d abandoned my blog, huh? No way, not even an option. I have, however, been waging war against my laptop which has suddenly gone rogue. At any rate, here is a two-for-one Tuesdays With Dorie post…on a Saturday night.

Laurie, our fearless leader at Tuesdays With Dorie, has given us a wonderful gift this month…the gift of flexibility! Laurie posted all of the November recipe selections in advance and gave us the go ‘head to post them in any order we’d like [the crowd erupts in wild applause!].

I chose to start November off with the Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies Pamela of Cookies with Boys selected. These cookies are warm, homey, and reminiscent of gingerbread (but with a kick!)- perfect for this time of year. Want the recipe? Come on, we all know you do…so here it is.

Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef chose Dorie’s Cran-Apple Crisp. This is a delightfully simple, comforting dessert. I used fresh cranberries – their tartness is irresistable – and golden raisins. Gorgeous!

You should must add this to your autumn recipe collection, so head over to Em’s place for the recipe. While you’re at it, be sure to check out the Tuesdays With Dorie blogroll to see what my fellow bakers are cooking up. The rest of the month’s going to be just as sweet, so come back…if you can handle it.

A lesson in French desserts

I am a naughty, naughty woman for neglecting my blog for this long…please forgive me. As you’ll see, I have been keeping busy in the kitchen – albeit not my own.

Last Saturday, I went to my local Williams-Sonoma for a cooking class on, you guessed it, French desserts! [insert girly squeals of excitement] Somehow, I managed to reign in my enthusiasm and refrained from giving the instructor, pastry chef Amy Archer, air kisses (although I think it would have been completely appropriate for this class). Instead, I chose a more dignified route and set about to become the teacher’s pet.

We were welcomed with warm apple cider and Chef Amy’s savory pecan pumpkin spread with bacon. Cream cheese, pumpkin butter, bacon, green onions, and pecans? That’s downright scandalous!

The menu for the class consisted of: Tarte au Citron, Honey Madeleines, and Chocolate Pots de Creme with Creme Chantilly. Ce magnifique!

Surprisingly, I favored the honey madeleines over the other two desserts. While the chocolate pots de creme were out of this world, the madeleines really sent me into orbit. The texture was intriguing - like cake, but even lighter. Or maybe it was their faint resemblance to seashells that fascinated me. A mystery well worth unraveling if you ask me. Chef Amy used clover honey, but I’m eager to try them using the fig honey I bought at the farmers’ market a couple of weeks ago.

The filling of the tarte au citron was extremely tart. I probably will not make the filling, but I enjoyed the pat sucre or “sugar dough” very much. Needless to say, I was in the most sublime state of gluttony I could imagine by the time class ended. If they’d served wine, they would have never gotten me to leave.

I should really stop my ramblings and start preparing some spooktacular treats for all the little ghouls and goblins tomorrow night. Au revoir and happy Halloween!

TWD: Sweet Potato Biscuits

For this week’s Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Erin of Prudence Pennywise selected Dorie’s sweet potato biscuits. I made the biscuit dough last night then popped them in the freezer so we could enjoy them this morning with some eggs and Canadian bacon. Do we know how to start the day off right, or what?

If you don’t already know this, trust Dorie implicitly. When will I learn that? As I transferred the biscuits to a rack to cool, I couldn’t help but eat one right then – nevermind that the recipe clearly states to let them cool 10-15 minutes. My first impression - ”kinda bland.” Ever the supportive husband, Kevin gladly ate the rest of the unimpressive biscuit. Then, something magical happened in our kitchen in that 10-15 minute timeframe…the biscuits came to life! Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating just a tad, but seriously these biscuits are amazing once they’ve had a little “beauty rest”. Dorie, I bow down to your wise and wondrous ways.

Pay Erin a visit for the recipe and spread some love to the rest of the TWD bakers while you’re at it. Visit me next week when I’ll share my Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte…if you’re good.

Daring Cooks: Vietnamese Chicken Pho

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

The husband was off dominating on some folks at the final SCRCS mountain bike race of the season (#1, baby!), so what better way to welcome him home than with a big pot of chicken soup simmering away on the stove. I wanted to like this soup, really I did. The toasted spices smelled amazing, but the finished product…meh. I found myself looking for carrots, celery, something, anything. I guess I’m a traditionalist when it comes to chicken noodle soup.

Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Preparation Time: 45 cooking time + 15 minutes to cook noodles based on package directions

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce

1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Directions:

To make the Chicken Pho Broth:

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.

In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.

Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.

Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.

Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.

Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

I added Sriracha chili sauce to the broth and that helped, but even so I doubt I’ll make this again. No offense, Jaden! Please do not let my lackluster review deter you in any way from trying this for yourself.

Remember to visit the blogroll to see what the other Daring Cooks thought and come back tomorrow for some sweet ‘tater biscuits. Oh, yeah!

Split Level Pudding

I’m a week behind with my baking, but here is my split level pudding in all it’s glory (finally!). Garrett of The Flavor of Vanilla chose Dorie’s split level pudding for last week’s Tuesdays With Dorie recipe. I must admit, I was pretty excited about this recipe. Actually, I get excited any time I hear the words “chocolate” and “ganache”.

The bottom layer is chocoate ganache which is simply bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream. The top layer was to be a vanilla pudding. I wanted to get a little creative and I thought hazelnut pudding would be interesting. So, I reduced the amount of vanilla extract to 1 tsp. (the original recipe calls for 2 1/4 tsp.). I added 1 1/4 tsp. of hazelnut syrup (we had Torani’s on hand) to the mix and voila! Plain ol’ vanilla pudding transformed into a creamy, slightly nutty silken dessert.

Dorie recommends using a food processor to get the smoothest pudding. There was some debate about this on the TWD forum. Some bakers used the food processor and were pleased with the results. Others found the food processor to be too harsh for the pudding. While others opted to whisk by hand and still others used blenders. I used my food processor and had no problem whatsoever. However, if you’re concerned about overprocessing your pudding, check out this tip from “Romaine” of Salad in a Jar (pay her a visit, but have a napkin handy to sop up your drool):

“Here’s a tip for a fast, foolproof way to cook the vanilla pudding.

Dump the first 5 ingredients for the pudding in a blender or food processor and mix briefly till smooth. Transfer to a 2 qt. batter bowl. Microwave on HIGH 6 minutes. Stop and whisk well after 2 minutes, then after every minute, then every 30 seconds the last 1 minute. In other words, whisk more often the longer it’s in the oven. (Time may vary according to the power of your microwave. Watch it till you know.) Then pour back into the blender or food processor to blend in the butter and vanilla per Dorie’s instructions.

I always make my pudding and cream pie filling this way. Never burns–always silky smooth.”

I highly suggest you saunter over to Garrett’s place for the recipe. While you’re at it, visit the other TWD bakers and give ‘em some love. Who knows, you might find someone who bakes for comments!

I have a commitment-free weekend coming up so I’m looking forward to baking my tail off. Well, it doesn’t work that way, but a girl can dream, right?

Oktoberfest!

Nothing says Fall like a trip to the mountains in October. Kevin and I drove up to Helen, Georgia this weekend to meet our dear friends, the Lee’s,  for the Dirty Spokes 12-hour mountain bike race at Unicoi state park. After the race, we packed up and hit Main Street where Oktoberfest was in full swing.

Kevin was jonesin’ for some authentic German food so we made a bee-line to The Old Bavaria Inn upon the suggestion of a local gentleman. I couldn’t resist the Hungarian Goulash soup with beef, pork, and potatoes. Kevin was drawn in by the wurst sausage plate special: 4 sausages (bratwurst, weisswurst, knockwurst, and 1 other wurst who’s name eludes me) served with red cabbage, sauerkraut, and homemade German potato salad. Does it get any more German than that?

Afterwards, we grabbed a couple of funnel cakes and continued our stroll along Main Street which made for some excellent people-watching. It was reminiscent of Mardi Gras minus the floats with plenty of lederhosen and Alpine hats thrown in.

Sunday morning, we drove to Brasstown Bald and were treated to breathtaking views of the mountainside dotted with autumn colors with the peak shrouded in fog. Afterwards, we drove on to Blairsville and enjoyed a hearty country breakfast at the Hole in the Wall restaurant. Hands-down the best bacon and pancakes I’ve had outside of my kitchen in quite some time.

A wonderful weekend with great friends, gorgeous scenery, crisp autumn morns, and of course plenty of good food to go ’round. Come back tomorrow when I’ll share my split-level pudding. I’m a week behind with my Tuesdays With Dorie baking, but you can’t very well hold a grudge against someone willing to share their chocolate ganache with you, now can you? See you tomorrow!