In June of this year I was honoured to have been asked to participate in a CIBPA Italian Heritage Month event. Particularly, I was asked to be a guest cook at their 1st Annual Master Chef Event at Casa Loma in Toronto. Sorry for how late I am posting this – I was 9 months pregnant at the time of the event and since then things have been a little bit busy (to say the least!)
I was tasked with making a sweet dish that the members and guests could enjoy – 150 portions of it! I have very little experience catering large events so I asked my friend Irene, who has been catering for years, for her help. Together we created this amazing recipe – A crispy cannoli shell cookie topped with chocolate raspberry infused cream and a slight bite of bittersweet dark chocolate. We garnished them with fresh raspberries and grated chocolate. Since raspberries are not in season – play around and top these with anything you like! A sparkling cranberry or pomegranate seeds would be my choice for the holidays! You can even substitute the raspberry liqueur for another flavour. This is a fun spin on a traditional Italian dessert. Our goal was to create something that would be a show-stopper and this bite-sized dessert did not disappoint!
With the holidays coming up, I think this would be a great addition to any holiday dessert table! Let me know what you think!
Let the holiday baking begin!
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| The beautiful grounds at Casa Loma |
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| Me & Irene ready to serve |
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| Rows & Rows of Cannoli |
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| Look there’s me on the poster! |
Two-bite Deconstructed Cannoli
Yields about 30 servings
2 cups all purpose flour
dash salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cool but not cold
1 egg, beaten
½ cup Marsala wine
vegetable oil, for frying
Raspberry Cream:
1.5 cups mascarpone
1 cup fresh ricotta, strained in a cheese cloth overnight
1/2 cup of icing sugar
1/4 cup of the raspberry chocolate liqueur or another desired flavour
1. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until evenly blended. Whisk together egg and wine and blend into flour mixture until it forms dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to bring together. Wrap and let rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
2. Roll out dough as thinly as possible, about 1/8–inch thick. use a fork to put holes into your dough (this will prevent them from puffing up in the fryer. Cut into 2-inch circles using a floured round cookie cutter. Scrap dough can be re-rolled to cut more discs. Keep discs covered when not using.
3. Heat oil to 360° F. Immerse rounds in oil and fry until golden brown. Place on a paper towel or cooling rack to drain. Repeat with remaining rounds, frying a few at a time. Cool completely before filling (everyone loves a crispy cannoli!)
4. For filling, whisk together the mascarpone and fresh ricotta. Add in the icing sugar and cream together. Fold in the liqueur until incorporated.
5. To assemble, melt your chocolate over a double broiler and dip a third of the round into the chocolate (reserve a piece of chocolate for grating over the assembled cannoli). Let the chocolate harden on a parchment lined baking sheet (Do not refrigerate as your chocolate will develop condensation, turn white and break). Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with the filling. Pipe a star onto the centre of the round. Top with a fresh raspberry or another seasonal fruit. grate some dark chocolate over your finished cannoli. Serve immediately – Enjoy!
With Love,
