Orange and chocolate ricotta cream

Recipes

Chocolate Cannoli with orange and chocolate ricotta cream

Makes 16

INGREDIENTS

3 cups plain flour

2 tablespoons cocoa

¼cup caster sugar

¼teaspoon salt 70g cold lard

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons white vinegar 60ml Marsala

1 egg white, lightly whisked

600g fresh ricotta, well drained of excess liquid

½cup icing sugar, plus extra for dusting Finely grated rind of an orange

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

½cup dark Lindt 70% chocolate, finely chopped

METHOD

1.Place flour, cocoa, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food process and add lard. Pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add eggs, white vinegar and Marsala and pulse until dough just comes together. Add an extra

1-2 tablespoons of water if dough is too dry. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide dough in two and form into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2.Fill deep fryer with 4 litres of oil. Preheat to 180°C and line a tray with paper towel.

3.Unwrap one pastry disc and roll out until about 1mm thick. Using an 8cm cutter, cut out discs from dough. Working with

4 discs at a time, roll out each pastry disc into an oval shape that will fit onto the cannoli tube. The dough should now be ½ mm thick. Grease 4 cannoli tubes with cooking spray and wrap each pastry disc around the cannoli tubes, securing the join with egg white and pressing down on the centre to seal completely.

4.Fry 4 tubes at a time for 2-3 minutes or until cannoli is golden and crisp. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel. Cool slightly.

5.While, still warm, remove cannoli shells from the tubes by holding cannoli in the centre and gently sliding cannoli from the tube. Allow to cool completely.

6.Repeat with remaining dough and tubes, making sure to reheat the oil between batches.

7.To make the ricotta cream; lightly beat ricotta and icing sugar until creamy and soft. Fold through orange rind and Grand Marnier. Spoon into a piping bag with a large nozzle and fill cooled cannoli tubes. Dip each end of the cannoli into the finely chopped chocolate and serve dusted with icing sugar.

Serve with coffee.

NOTE

Unfilled cannoli tubes can be kept in an air tight container for 3-4 days.