Recipe

Cannon Balls Recipe

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Ingredients

Orange flower water; optional
pn Salt
FILLING
1/2 c Superfine sugar
1 1/4 c All-purpose flour; sifted
5 tb Marsala;
Fat for deep frying
2 c Ricotta cheese; as fresh as possible
1/4 c Candied fruit; citron, orange peel, etc., finely sliced
DOUGH
12 Metal cannoli tubes;
1 tb Superfine sugar
1 ts Vanilla extract OR
1/4 c Pistachio nuts; coarsely sliced
1/4 c Semi-sweet chocolate; cut in fine dice

Directions

Step #1 Sift the flour & salt into a bowl, make a well in the center, and add the wine & sugar.
Step #2 Work the flour into the center until you have a rather firm dough, something like noodle dough.
Step #3 If the dough is too crumbly add more wine, but do not let it become sticky.
Step #4 Place dough on a lightly floured pastry cloth or board & knead it and lb it vigorously for about 15 mins.
Step #5 It should be perfectly smooth by then.
Step #6 Form it into a ball, slightly dampened cloth, wrap in a clean, & let it rest for 2 hrs.
Step #7 When it has rested, roll it out on the pastry cloth or board until very thin (no more than 1/16 inch).
Step #8 Cut it into 5-inch squares & roll it around the metal tubes as follows: take a square & place it before you diamond fashion; one of the points toward you.
Step #9 Place the tube vertically across the middle of the diamond, each end at a point of the dough.
Step #10 Fold the sides over the tube, moistening the overlap with a little water & pressing together.
Step #11 When all the squares have been thus rolled, a few at a time, place them, into deep fat preheated to 375 degrees F.
Step #12 Remove them when they are golden brown (tongs are best for this, as the rolls are fragile) & let them drain on absorbent paper.
Step #13 When they are cool, slip off the tubes, & fill with the ricotta filling.
Step #14 Press the ricotta through a fine sieve into a bowl.
Step #15 Beat it until it is creamy & smooth.
Step #16 Beat in the rest of the ingredients with a large fork.
Step #17 Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tube (or merely use the nozzle, without a tube) & pipe the filling into the cooled shells.
Step #18 Makes 12 cannoli.
Step #19 --.
Enjoy the CANNON BALLS recipe