Ricotta Cannoli

If you don't plan on garnishing with candied orange peel you can skip this step! Start by washing your oranges. Top and tail the oranges, discarding these, then quarter the oranges. Each quarter can be cut into half. Run your knife just under the flesh of the orange, slicing through the pith to end up with a perfectly peeled skin.

Place the peel into a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil, stirring for 1 minute to help remove excess bitterness and drain them. Now add the caster sugar and water to the pot and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange peel and increase the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring every so often, for 10-12 minutes until the oranges are cooked through, the syrup is significantly reduced and is coating the peel. Remove from the heat, allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container overnight (or up to 1 week).

Open the ricotta packaging in the sink and drain any excess liquid. Press the ricotta through a fine mesh sieve to refine the texture. In a mixing bowl, stir the refined ricotta with the caster sugar, then add the finely chopped dark chocolate and mix in. Cover and refrigerate overnight (the texture will become more smooth and creamy).

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment, add the 00 flour, caster sugar, vanilla bean paste, fine sea salt, free range egg, white vinegar, dry marsala wine, and lard. Mix on low speed until the ingredients form a rough dough.

Move the dough from the mixing bowl onto the bench, knead for a moment by hand then shape into a ball. Don’t overmix. Cover the dough completely with plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 1/2 hour.

Using a pasta machine, pass the dough through bit by bit, starting on the widest setting and working your way to thinner settings up to number 4, using a little dusting flour in between rolling if needed.

Use a cutter to cut out the shapes of dough (if you don’t have a cannoli cutter use a large round cutter). Place a cloth over the top of them while you work through the remaining dough and frying to avoid the cut pieces drying out.

Heat the neutral frying oil (or lard) in a deep pot to 180°C. While it is heating, begin assembling the shells by wrapping the cut dough around a bamboo or stainless steel cannoli tube. Overlap the two sides and brush with a little beaten egg in between, pressing gently so that it sticks. Continue assembling as many shells as you have tubes for. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can check the oil temperature by dropping a piece of the dough offcuts in the oil. If it bubbles without browning immediately the oil is ready, otherwise, adjust your temperature accordingly. Once the oil is ready, begin frying the shells, just one or two at a time.

The shells should take no more than 2 minutes to fry. When they are nicely coloured, take them out of the oil and allow them to drain on some absorbent paper. As the shells become cooler to the touch, carefully remove the tubes from inside the shell and set them aside. Meanwhile, continue assembling and frying the remaining shells.

Take the ricotta filling out of the fridge and give it a good stir. Load up a piping bag with the filling and pipe the shells abundantly. You can also do this with a spoon or small spatula; it will just take a little longer.

Garnish each cannoli with a piece of candied orange peel on either end and finish with a dusting of icing sugar over top. Enjoy them immediately!