Whether you’re gluten-sensitive, gluten-intolerant or just looking to decrease the amount of gluten you eat, Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle (Ten Speed Press, 2013) is your answer. Kyra Bussanich puts a delicious spin on gluten-free baking. The following Cannolizelli recipe will bring a little taste of Italy into the kitchen.
Purchase this book from the Mother Earth Living store: Sweet Cravings.
When I was a child, our Christmas Day tradition was making cannoli. My dad grew up in the Bronx and was enamored with Ferraro’s Cannoli, a landmark in Little Italy. He had figured out a really great approximation of their recipe, so every year we would carefully stir together the ricotta, confectioners’ sugar, spices, and rum, spoon the cannoli filling into the crispy flour tortilla shells, and dust the whole thing with confectioners’ sugar. Then we would pile the cannoli on paper plates and deliver them to our friends and neighbors. Nowadays, I make cannoli in a gluten-free shell. Here’s how.
Cannolizelli Recipe
Shells:
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sweet white rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling:
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rum
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup toasted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1. To make the shells, using a stand mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites and sugar until very thick and pale and fluffy. Then whip in the butter and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the flour, starch, and baking powder. Sprinkle into the egg white mixture and blend well.