Sicilian Cannoli Shells with Chocolate Custard Filling

Ingredients

Cannoli shells

• 500g 00 flour
• 180g bakers flour
• 70g butter
• 70g sugar
• 160ml red wine
• 50ml vinegar
• 3 egg yolks
• 4g salt

Chocolate crema filling

• 1L real milk (from That's Amore)
• 250g granulated sugar
• 150g cornstarch
• 200g of yolks
• 200 dark cooking chocolate

Method

Cannoli squares

To make the cannoli shells: Place flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg, butter, sugar, red wine and vinegar. Stir the ingredients in the centre and gradually incorporate the flour in order to form the dough. Using your hands, knead until the dough is formed.

Using a pasta roller or a rolling pin cut off a small piece of dough and flatten with your hands. If using a pasta roller, begin with the widest setting and end by rolling your sheet of dough through the narrowest setting. The dough should be very thin, about 1.5 mm.

Roll all the pieces of dough and cover them with a kitchen towel in order to prevent the sheets from drying out.

Using a 4 inch diameter circular pasta cutter, cut out rounds of dough and cover to keep from drying out. When all the dough has been used up, wrap each round of dough around a stainless-steel cannoli mould and seal the edges with the beaten egg white.

Fill a deep pot halfway with canola oil. When the oil is hot, fry 3 or 4 cannoli shells at a time until golden. You may have to hold them down to ensure that all sides are evenly fried.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or tray. Carefully separate the cannoli moulds from the shell (be careful, they will be extremely hot!) and continue to fry the remaining rounds of dough.

Chocolate crema pasticcera

In a saucepan, bring milk almost to a boil.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and the starch, and then add the yolk and incorporate gently, without whipping.

Begin to add the hot milk to the sugar and starch mixture: start by adding a small quantity of milk, whisking to avoid lumps, then add half of the remaining milk, whisk again, and add the rest of the milk.

Return the mixture back to the pot, and bring it back to the stove and cook it to thicken. Stir constantly to prevent the mixture from burning or sticking to the sides of the pot. When the mixture begins to thicken and at the first sign of large bubbles on the surface, promptly remove the pot from the heat and whisk very energetically to prevent clumps from forming.

Pour into the chilled bowl with the chopped cooking chocolate and whisk to quickly bring the mixture to room temperature.

Cover the crema pasticcera with cling wrap, making sure the plastic is in contact with the cream, which will prevent it from forming a skin. Chill until ready to use.

When you are ready to use the crema pasticcera, it is necessary to briefly whip it with a whisk to lighten it up after it's been resting in the refrigerator.

Transfer to a piping bag, seal and refrigerate until well chilled, up to 2 days. Pipe into cannoli shells before serving.

About Dario Di Clerico

Chef and Food Director, That's Amore Cheese

Born in the Abruzzo region of central Italy, Dario's career as a chef began in 2005. While still a student in Abruzzo, he travelled around Italy improve his cooking skills and gain experience. After graduation, he travelled to London where he worked for two years at the Michelin Star Restaurant Waldo as Chef de partie.

Looking for another challenge, Dario arrived in Melbourne in 2009. After his experience at Yak Italian Kitchen and Bar, he joined That's Amore Cheese in 2014 as chef and food director involved in all aspects of product development and promotion.

In conjunction with Giorgio Linguanti, the company owner and cheesemaker, Dario has developed a new brand called Cannoleria specialising in freshly filled cannoli with more than 20 different natural and seasonal flavours, free from artificial colours and preservatives.