“This is a beautifully decadent and simple dessert. I like to make my own savoiardi biscuits, but you can use good shop-bought ones. The trick here is to use good-quality coffee, the fresher the better. In fact, opt for all top-quality ingredients, including Italian mascarpone, as the combination of fine ingredients pulls this simple dish together nicely. It’s the perfect pick-me-up.”
Ingredients
Cannoli
Coffee syrup
Amaretti and mascarpone mousse
Method
Main
1.For cannoli, place flour in a food processor. Combine yolks, egg, amaretto, olive oil and 25ml water in a small bowl. With motor running, slowly pour egg mixture into flour until incorporated and mixture resembles fine crumbs. Turn onto a bench and knead lightly until smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest. Meanwhile, preheat oil in a deep-fryer or deep-sided saucepan to 180C. Remove dough from fridge and roll to 2mm thick with a rolling pin (you could also use a pasta machine; you may need to dust with flour to prevent sticking). Cut into eight 10cm-diameter rounds with a cutter, wrap around lightly oiled metal cannoli tubes (see note), brush a little water onto pastry where it overlaps and press firmly to seal. Deep-fry pastry-wrapped tubes in batches until light golden (4-5 minutes). Carefully remove pastry from tubes while still warm, then cool and store in an airtight container until required. Cannoli will keep for 2 days in an airtight container.
2. Whisk yolks and sugar in an electric mixer until mixture holds a thick ribbon (5-6 minutes). Add Baileys and Frangelico and whisk to combine (1-2 minutes). Add cream and whisk until medium-firm peaks form (4-5 minutes). Add mascarpone and whisk until stiff peaks form (1-2 minutes). (Don’t over-whisk as the mascarpone may split.) Transfer to a piping bag (no nozzle) and refrigerate until required.
3.Meanwhile, for coffee syrup, combine coffee, sugar and 200ml water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, cool slightly. Dip savoiardi into syrup, set aside. Strain syrup through a fine sieve into a large deep-sided frying pan and reduce over medium heat, stirring occasionally at first, then continuously as mixture thickens, until very thick, like molten chocolate (7-8 minutes). Set aside until cool, then swirl a little around eight 250ml-capacity glasses.
4.Pipe a little mascarpone mixture into glasses, then alternate two layers of savoiardi and two of mascarpone until glasses are filled and savoiardi and mascarpone are all used. Refrigerate until required.
5.Meanwhile, for amaretti and mascarpone mousse, whisk yolks and sugar in an electric mixer until mixture holds a thick ribbon (4-6 minutes). Add amaretto and cream and whisk to medium peaks. Add mascarpone and whisk to firm peaks. Be careful not to over-whisk at this stage as the mascarpone may split. Fold in crushed amaretti, transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm nozzle and pipe into cannoli.
6.To serve, dust tiramisù with cocoa and serve with cannoli to the side.
Note Metal cannoli tubes are available from specialist kitchenware shops. Alternatively, you can use dry cannelloni pasta tubes.
This recipe is from the January 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
Drink Suggestion: 2006 Yering Station Late Harvest Pinot Gris
Notes
