From The Sopranos · 1999-2007 · Reconstructed
Cannoli
Serve when
Put these out with coffee as the pastry-box ending to the meal.
In the series
Season 1
- S1E5 · ~00:30:00 Carmela and Father Phil's food-and-wine evening makes Italian pastry feel like part of the household's hospitality language
Season 6
- S6E21 · ~00:51:00 The finale's restaurant dessert energy makes a small pastry finish feel right for a Sopranos table
Hosting notes
Fill cannoli as late as you can so the shells stay crisp. If guests are casual, set out the filling and shells separately and let people pipe their own.
In the series
Cannoli gives the menu a bakery-box finish: portable, familiar, and just enough after a heavy plate of pasta and gravy.
Ingredients
Method
- Drain the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve for at least 1 hour if it looks wet.
- Beat ricotta, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest until smooth.
- Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Spoon the filling into a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped.
- Fill the cannoli shells from both ends shortly before serving. Dip the ends in pistachios and dust with powdered sugar.
Substitutions
- Cannoli shells: Buy shells from an Italian bakery or grocery. For a no-fry party shortcut, serve the filling as a dip with broken waffle cones or pizzelle cookies.
- Ricotta: Mascarpone can replace up to half the ricotta for a smoother, richer filling. All mascarpone is delicious but less recognizably cannoli.
- Pistachios: Use mini chocolate chips on the ends, chopped almonds, or nothing at all. The shell and ricotta filling carry the identity.
- Orange zest: Leave it out or use lemon zest. Citrus brightens the filling but should not dominate.
Beyond the recipe
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