Serves 8-10
Ingredients

• Plain Sponge Cake Or Plain Pound Cake
• 1 1/2 Pounds Full Fat Ricotta Cheese
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 oz. Of Your Favorite Liqueur (Good Choices Are Creme de Cocoa, or Grand Marnier)
• 1 Ounce Of Dark Rum
• 1 Tablespoon Grated Dark Chocolate
• Tablespoons Finely Chopped Mixed Peel
• Powdered Sugar

Preparation time
15 minutes

Preparation
In a round bowl, carefully line the sides with the sponge cake or pound cake by cutting the cake into slices, and fitting them in carefully side by side. Mix together your rum and liqueur, and brush it liberally over the cake lining the sides. Drain the ricotta of any excess water by letting it sit in a strainer over a small bowl in your refrigerator for 30 minutes. Mix the ricotta with the other filling ingredients, and pour this mixture over the moistened cake. Top with the remaining cake slices cut to fit. Cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 5-6 hours, or overnight. Flip over the bowl onto a serving dish, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cups Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cup Chilled, Sweet Butter
• 1 Whole Egg And One Additional Egg Yolk

Filling

• 2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 3 Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Fruit Jam (I Prefer Blueberry)
• 1 (10-11 Inch) Tart Pan With Removable Bottom
• Powdered Sugar

Preparation time
20 minutes

Preparation
Prepare the crust first, by first mixing the sugar, flour and baking powder. Cut the butter into this mixture until it resembles small peas. Whisk together your egg and egg yolk, and add this to the dry ingredients. Combine just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a tablespoon or so of ice water. Wrap this dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, no longer than 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10-11 inch round, depending the size of your chosen pan. Transfer the dough carefully to the pan and trim.

To prepare the filling, mix together the ricotta, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Spread the jam across the bottom of your pie pan, and pour the ricotta mixture overtop. Bake for about 55 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat and cool. When cool, remove from the pan rim, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Serves: 18 canollis

Ingredients

Filling

• 3 cups Ricotta cheese (use the full fat kind)
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup Finely chopped candied
• Citron (optional)
• 1/4 cup Semi=sweet chocolate pieces

Pastry

• 3 cups Flour
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 3 tablespoons Shortening
• 2 Eggs – well beaten
• 2 tablespoons White vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Cold water
• 2 ounces Pistachio nuts
• 1 Egg white – slightly beaten

Preparation time
45 minutes

Preparation

For filling
Combine and beat until smooth (about 10 minutes with an electric mixer at medium-high speed). Stir in, mixing thoroughly, citron and chocolate pieces. Place mixture in refrigerator to chill.

For pastry shells
Sift together first 4 ingredients into a bowl. Cut shortening in with a pastry blender until pieces are size of small peas. Stir in eggs. Blend in, a tablespoon at a time, the vinegar and cold water. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Use a small amount of additional flour if necessary to get a smooth dough. Wrap in waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Set out six aluminum cannoli tubes (6 inches long, about 3/4-inch diameter). Set out deep saucepan or automatic deep-fryer. Add vegetable oil (or half vegetable oil and half olive oil) and heat to 360 F. Cut an oval shaped pattern from cardboard (about 6 x 4 1/2 inches). Blanche pistachios in boiling water, then cool and finely chop pistachios. Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with a pastry cutter and using the oval pattern. Wrap dough loosely around tubes slightly overlapping opposite edges. Seal edges by brushing with egg white. press edges together to seal.

Fry only as many shells as will float uncrowded one layer deep in the hot oil. Fry about 8 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally in the oil. Drain over the pan before removing to paper toweling. Cool slightly and remove tubes, then cool completely. Continue forming and frying cannoli shells.

When ready to serve, fill with the chilled ricotta filling. Sprinkle ends with the chopped nuts and dust with confectioners’ sugar.