Silky ricotta cream, pistachios, chocolate, crostoli, cannoli shells and fresh strawberries. All the flavours of a classic Sicilian cannoli, turned into an abundant dessert for sharing, without the fiddly business of filling individual shells.
SERVES: 6-8
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the ricotta cream:
- 500 g full-fat Floridia Cheese Ricotta, well drained
- 100 g icing sugar, sifted
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange, extra to serve
- 100 ml thickened cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or fresh vanilla bean
For the platter:
- 150 g crostoli, broken into large pieces
- 100 g mini cannoli shells, or regular cannoli shells broken into pieces
- 100 g thin almond biscotti
- 75 g roasted pistachios, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
- 75 g dark chocolate, finely chopped or shaved, plus extra to serve
- 250 g strawberries, halved if large
- Icing sugar, for dusting
METHOD
- Start by making the ricotta cream. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it lightly with a fork.
- Add the icing sugar, orange zest and vanilla, then fold through the pistachios and chocolate (keep the extra aside for serving). In a separate bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks.
- Gently fold the whipped cream through the ricotta mixture until light and silky. Taste and add a little extra icing sugar or orange zest if needed. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
- When you're ready to serve, choose a large round or oval platter. Spoon the ricotta cream generously onto one side and use the back of a spoon to create soft swoops across the surface. Sprinkle with extra pistachios, chocolate and orange zest.
- Arrange the crostoli, cannoli shells and almond biscotti alongside the ricotta cream, creating a generous, slightly rustic pile rather than arranging everything too neatly.
- Tuck the strawberries amongst the biscuits and shells, adding them wherever you want a fresh burst of colour.
- Serve immediately, allowing everyone to scoop the ricotta cream onto a piece of crostoli, cannoli shell or biscotti and build their own perfect bite.
A little note for the recipe: I would keep the ricotta cream deliberately less sweet than a traditional cannoli filling. The crostoli, biscotti, chocolate and icing sugar bring plenty of sweetness, so the cream should taste fresh, creamy and citrusy rather than sugary.