Cannolis are an Italian dessert of course, but their popularity has spread to other places. Italian food has a big following in South America. In large cities like Buenos Aires you can find many authentic Italian restaurnats, serving traditional Italian food as well as many creative versions of Italian dishes that incorporate local ingredients.
These cannoli are an example of that kind of "fusion", as the mascarpone filling is flavored with passionfruit. This filling is especially good with cannoli shells that have been dipped in chocolate. Fill the cannolis just before serving, as the shells lose their crispness fairly quickly once they are filled. You can find frozen passionfruit pulp at Latin markets, and at supermarket chains that carry Goya brand frozen fruit pulps.Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 large or 24 mini cannoli.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups passionfruit purée
- 1 pound ricotta cheese
- 1 pound mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple (optional)
- !/2 cup candied macadamia nuts
- 12 small or 6 large cannoli shells
- 4 ounces chocolate chips for dipping the shells, if desired. (see How to Melt Chocolate)
Preparation:
- If desired, dip the ends of the cannoli shells into melted chocolate, and set aside for chocolate to harden.
- Place the passionfruit pulp in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook until liquid is reduced to a scant 1/4 cup, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Drain any liquid from the ricotta cheese and place in a mixing bowl. Add the mascarpone cheese, and using the whisk attachment, whip cheeses until creamy. Add the cooked passionfruit mixture and mix well.
- Gradually add the sugar to the mixture while continuing to mix, then add the vanilla, and a pinch of salt to taste. Fold in the chopped dried pineapple if desired. Cannoli filling can be prepared ahead and frozen until ready to use.
- Place filling inside of a pastry bag with a wide tip. If you don't have a pastry bag, place inside a large ziplock bag. Seal the bag and use scissors to snip one corner off the bottom of the bag, then squeeze the filling into the shells through the opening.
- Fill the cannoli shells generously, allowing some of the filling to spill out decoratively from either end of the shell. Chop the candied nuts finely and dip each end of the cannoli into the nuts.
- Serve cannolis immediately. Refrigerate any unused cannoli filling until just before serving. Store unused cannoli shells in an airtight container.
