Recipe: Lidia's Cannoli Napoleons (Cannolo a Strati)

LIDIA'S CANNOLI NAPOLEONS (CANNOLO A STRATI)
"Traditional cannoli are crispy fried dough cylinders stuffed with ricotta cream. This version is made with deep-fried discs of cannoli, stacked high with layers of ricotta cream in between, just like a napoleon. It is a much easier technique, frying the discs rather than the tubular cannoli shells, and the finished cannoli taste as good as the traditional version but look quite contemporary."


FOR THE PASTRY DOUGH:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup dry red wine, or as needed

FOR THE CANNOLI CREAM:
1 pound (2 cups) fresh ricotta
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for decoration
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional, but very good!)
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate (or 3 tablespoons bittersweet chips)
2 tablespoons candied orange rind
2 tablespoons almonds, toasted
1 cup vegetable oil, or as needed
Honey and grated chocolate for decoration

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
(Make the pastry dough in the food processor a day or two - or at least 4 hours - in advance for the best texture.)

Put the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food-processor bowl, and process just to mix. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, and wine together in a measuring cup, and, with the machine running, pour all but 1 tablespoon of the liquid in; process for 20 seconds or so, until a dough gathers on the blade. If it feels hard and dry, sprinkle in the remaining liquid and process briefly, to make it moist and malleable.

Turn the dough out of the bowl, scraping any bits from the sides and blade, and knead by hand into a soft, smooth ball. Flatten to a disc, wrap very tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

TO MAKE THE CANNOLI CREAM:
Put the fresh ricotta in a fine-meshed sieve, and set it inside a bowl to drain for 12 to 24 hours in advance. Cover the ricotta with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Whip the prepared ricotta with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until smooth. Whip in the confectioners' sugar and Grand Marnier.

Chop the chocolate (or chips) into coarse bits - big enough to bite into and to be visible. Coarsely chop the candied peel and almonds to the same size, about the size of raisins. Fold the chopped pieces into the cream; refrigerate until you assemble the cannoli.

TO PREPARE THE PASTRY ROUNDS:
Cut the pastry dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to a rectangle 11 by 14-inches (or as close as possible). Use a round cookie cutter about 3-inches in diameter to cut discs. Set the rounds aside, on a lightly floured tray, to rest for 15 minutes before frying. Meanwhile, roll out and cut the remaining half of the dough the same way.

TO FRY THE PASTRY:
Pour vegetable oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch, and set over medium heat. Use the point of a small, sharp knife to pierce each pastry round about ten times all over its surface, as though you were making pinpricks through the dough. (These tiny holes will prevent the pastry from ballooning when fried.)

Heat the oil until the edge of the dough sizzles gently when dipped into it, then lay in as many rounds as you can, 2-inches apart. Raise the heat to keep the oil temperature up (but lower it as soon as the sizzling gets too fast). Fry the rounds for about 3 minutes on the first side, pushing them under the oil occasionally to heat the top surface. As the tops begin to bubble, press with tongs to prevent big bubbles from ballooning - small bubbles are OK. When the bottom is golden brown, flip the rounds over and fry until evenly colored and crisp on both sides, about 2 more minutes. As soon as they're done, lift them with tongs, let excess oil drip off, and lay them to drain on folded paper towels. Fry all the rounds this way, adding oil as needed and heating it between batches.

TO ASSEMBLE YOUR CANNOLI NAPOLEONS:
Set one round on the plate, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cannoli cream in the center, lay another round on top - sides aligned - and press gently to spread the cream. Drop on another layer of cream, cover with a third round, and press. Finally, shower the top of each napoleon with confectioners' sugar and embellish with drizzles of honey or a sprinkle of finely grated chocolate and serve.

Makes 6 to 8 cannoli napoleons
Source: Lidia's Favorite Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali