From The Godfather · 1972 · Reconstructed
Cannoli
Serve when
Serve them the moment Clemenza delivers the most famous food line in movie history — 'Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.'
In the movie
Theatrical
- 00:58:01 Clemenza stops for cannoli on the way to the hit on Paulie; after the deed, he pauses at the car door — 'Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.' The box rides home to his wife, exactly as promised.
Clemenza's wife asks him to pick up cannoli; he does — in the middle of a mob execution. The line was reportedly improvised on Richard Castellano's part in its final form, and it became the film's shorthand for the whole world of The Godfather: family and business, sweetness and violence, in one pastry box on the front seat.
Ingredients
Method
- Beat the drained ricotta with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange zest until completely smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the filling at least an hour — it should hold its shape.
- Pipe into the shells from both ends just before serving so they stay crisp.
- Press the exposed ends into chopped pistachios and dust the shells with powdered sugar.
- Take the cannoli. (You know what to leave.)