Despite my overwhelming love of all things sweet I’ve never been interested in the baking process. I’ve helped bake cakes and I’ve even put pre-made cookie dough into the oven but I’ve never gone out of my way to prepare a delicious treat – apparently I’m too anxious to eat it. Therefore, even though I made sure to include cooking in fifty-two to thirty I had no interest in baking anything. However, that all changed when my co-worker Tracy suggested I make cannolis from scratch for one of my experiences. Jackpot!
Who doesn’t love a cannoli? They’re delicious treats I usually reserve for special occasions, but the idea of making them from scratch appealed to me on several levels. First, they’re scrumptious. That should be reason enough. However, they’re also kind of fancy-pants. Anyone can throw together a cake or cookies but a platter full of homemade cannolis is really impressive.
Another reason, quite simply, is the challenge involved. And as I’ve stated over and over, I don’t want to do anything during 52to30 that is overly easy or otherwise meaningless. Therefore, since standard cakes and cookies are relatively simple (which in no way takes away from their deliciousness) baking them wouldn’t make for a compelling or difficult experience. So when making cannolis was suggested the idea made so much sense I immediately started to put it into motion.
After researching several recipes online and realizing they’re all very similar I chose the least intimidating but still had to make a few adjustments – I have no use for cherries or pistachios in my cannolis. Next I assembled the necessary components, purchasing ricotta cheese and chocolate chips while my mother was kind enough to provide the remaining ingredients (sugar, flour, eggs, etc) in addition to allowing me the use of her kitchen. I’m not sure if she was being generous or just craving the final product. A little of both, I’m sure.
So with all the accoutrements assembled, along with the help of my trusty assistant Jackie, I jumped into the process. The first step was to drain the ricotta cheese prior to combining any other ingredients.
The directions suggest doing this overnight but since I didn’t see this tip until I was about to begin I decided the time it took to prepare the shells would be sufficient. Therefore, while the cheese was draining in the refrigerator I was busy creating the dough for my shells.
As the dough formed I slowly and clumsily started kneading before Jackie pushed me aside to demonstrate the proper technique – she’s a pro. After this quick lesson I resumed this task before rolling out the dough and making 3-inch circles with a cookie cutter. Each circle is then rolled into an ovular shape before being wrapped around a metal tube (borrowed from Tracy, thanks again) to be dropped into hot oil for frying.
My first attempt wasn’t very successful since I forgot to seal the edges with egg white and the rolls unraveled as soon as they were submerged. Instead of cannoli shells I ended up with two small pieces of fried dough – although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s not quite what I was aiming for.
Learning from my mistake, I continued this process with the rest of the do
ugh, wrapping it around the tube, dropping it into the oil for a couple of minutes and waiting for it to cool before moving to the next pair. Unfortunately, this process took quite a while since we only had two tubes to work with. But Jackie and I quickly got into a rhythm and had a pile of perfectly formed cannoli shells in no time.
With the shells finished I retrieved the ricotta from the refrigerator to examine the draining process. Satisfied with the state of drainage I gathered the other ingredients needed for the filling and started to mix them together. Thankfully this process was much easier than f
orming the shells and I was able to whip it together relatively quickly. As previously mentioned I decided to bypass the cherries and pistachios suggested in the recipe but I was sure to include a generous helping of chocolate chips along with the cheese, sugar and cinnamon.
Then, with shells and filling laid out before me, the next step was to combine them into one glorious treat. Surprisingly, the process of injecting the shells was much easier than I had expected. However, I hit one early snag when I realized the caulk gun provided by my mother did not have a nozzle large enough to pass the chocolate chips. Therefore, I was forced to revert to the classic and effective zip
-lock bag with the corner snipped off. The shells were quickly filled, dusted with some powdered sugar and served to the nearest interested parties – my (eager but patient) mother, father, Jackie and myself – and everyone was very pleased with the outcome.
The success of my cannoli experiment was further supported by the response I received at work the next day. To show my appreciation for her idea, as well as letting me borrow the tubes to form the shells, I promised Tracy I would bring her a sampling of my work. Of course, it would be ridiculous to think I could get away with only bringing a treat for one person in the office so I decided to be generous and share with everyone in my row. The response to this kind gesture was only out done by the overwhelming approval of the cannolis themselves. It feels good to share but it’s even better when you’re doubly praised for it. 
POP CULTURE UPDATE:
Listening To : Depeche Mode "Violator"
Reading : Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Recent Movie : Drillbit Taylor
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