Hold a cannolo in your hand and insert your thumb into the end
opposite the piping end, forming a barrier so the filling doesn’t shoot
out the other side. Pipe the filling in one side and then turn and fill
the other side. The filling that is already inside will act as the dam
now. Smooth the ends and lay on the serving plate. Pipe a dab of
filling onto the top of each one and sprinkle the chopped pistachio
over the top.

* Lard comes from the fattiest parts of a piggy and yet bakes out ‘cleanly’ with
no fatty mouthfeel or super-porky taste. It brings ethereal lightness as a baking
fat. Lard is most probably why Italian pastries, made traditionally, just taste
mind‑bendingly bellissima!

** Nail the sweet spot for dough thickness: too thick and the cannoli will be
doughy and not blister.

*** If too many shells unfurl in the fryer, switch to the Crostoli A daptrix (left).

Chocolate Fruit Nuts Plus …
60 g (2 oz)
70% dark chocolate
60 g (2 oz)
glacé figs, chopped
None None
40 g (1½ oz)
white chocolate
40 g (1½ oz)
candied lemon
40 g (1½ oz)
toasted pistachios
Lemon
zest
60 g (2 oz)
bittersweet chocolate
60 g (2 oz)
toasted pine nuts
Mandarin
zest
60 g (2 oz)
dark chocolate
60 g (2 oz)
almond praline
50 g (1¾ oz)
milk chocolate
20 g (¾ oz)
boozy soaked raisins,
chopped
50 g (1¾ oz)
toasted hazelnuts
Adaptrix
Pasta machine
Divide the dough into thirds and
roll each piece through. All pasta
machine settings differ, so ensure
you don’t go through to the thinnest
(you won’t get bubbles), nor too
thick (you’ll get a hefty dough tube).

Do a little test fry with a strip.

Crostoli
A great back-up plan in case the
tube frying is worrisome or the
cannoli tube delivery was delayed.

Roll the dough out as described,
then cut out strips of around 15  cm  ×
5 cm (6 in × 2 in) with a fluted wheel
cutter. Use the wheel to make an
incision down the centre but NOT
all the way to the ends. Fry the
little sheets until crisp and brown,
unfurling them with tongs if they fold
over in the fr yer. Drain to cool, then
dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar
or stack with the ricotta filling.

Tube care
Wash well in very hot soapy water,
rinse, then dry in a 150°C-ish
(300°F) oven until bone dry. Spray
lightly with canola spray to prevent
rust. Store in an air tight container.

Filling flavour add-ins
At right are the flavouring
couples and throuples you can
add to your plain ricotta and
custard mix. Just remember
to make the total weight of the
add-ins around 120 g (4½ oz) or
add the add-ins incrementally,
so as not to tilt the filling from
creamy to chunky.