How to Thicken Ricotta for Cannoli
The Italian culinary canon is studded with memorable desserts, ranging from the simple to the lavish. Although America has embraced Italian food with enthusiasm, only a few Italian desserts have become widely known and popular. One example is cannoli, which consists of a crisp pastry shell, usually fried, filled with a sweetened ricotta cheese mixture. Home cooks have often found, to their dismay, that the ricotta filling is sometimes too soft and wet to stay in the shells. There are a few simple techniques to correct this problem. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Colander or fine-mesh strainer
- Pudding bag or cheesecloth
- Small plate
- Small can of soup or vegetables (optional)
- Fine semolina or semolina flour
- Milk or water
- Saucepan
- Sugar, and other flavorings if desired
- Egg yolks
- Prepared sweetened-ricotta cannoli filling
- Pastry cream
- Flour or cornstarch
- Cream cheese or mascarpone
Instructions
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1
Line a colander or fine-mesh strainer with a pudding bag or several layers of cheesecloth. Drain the ricotta overnight in the strainer, with a plate on top of the curds and, if desired, a small can of soup for weight. This will drain some whey from the ricotta, leaving it dryer and thicker.
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2
Cook semolina in water or milk, with sugar and any additional flavorings you may wish. Beat in two egg yolks for every 3/4 cup of semolina. Cool, and mix the ricotta with the sweetened semolina at a ratio of two parts ricotta with one part semolina.
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3
Mix pastry cream into the sweetened ricotta filling, using three or four parts ricotta to one part pastry cream. The proportions can be varied to taste.
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4
Cook flour or cornstarch in a small quantity of milk until it makes a thick paste, then mix this paste thoroughly with the ricotta filling. The starch will thicken the ricotta filling, binding to any surplus moisture.
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5
Incorporate cream cheese or mascarpone into the filling. Both are thicker than the sweetened ricotta, and will give the mixture a stiffer texture.
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Tips & Warnings
All of these techniques work, and change the texture of the filling in varying degrees. Try several techniques to decide which you like best, either individually or in combination.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
