Blueberry & Ricotta Cannoli with Lemon Thyme Crumble

Executive Chef Brad Vigue created this recipe for Blueberry Fest in 2018.

Yield: Twelve Small Cannoli

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Ingredients

Cannoli Shells

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp soft butter
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ tsp nutmeg – may reduce depending on personal taste
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 fl oz sweet Marsala wine

Additional supplies

• wooden dowel  
  (8” long 1.25” diameter)
• Aluminum foil

Blueberry Cannoli Filling

• 16oz ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Juice & zest  ½ lemon
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 fl oz limoncello liquor

Lemon Thyme Crumble

• 2 tbsp all purposse flour
• 5 tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• (picked, finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• Zest of 1 lemon

To Assemble Cannoli

• Prepare filling as per recipe, Place the blueberry filling into piping bags with round tips
• Fill the cannoli from 1 end until the ricotta mixture is flush with the end of the shell, turn and fill the other side
• Dip each end of the cannoli into the crumble, lightly shake off any excess
• Place on small plate or platter
• Dust lightly with icing sugar, garnish with small pinch of lemon zest

Method

Prepare Cannoli Shells

1. Slice salmon into 2.5oz pieces. Cut on the bias—thin and flat. 
2. Season salmon with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Sear over high heat in frying pan for 15 to 20 seconds on each side until fish is cooked (depends on thickness)

Prepare Kale, Kholrabi & Carrot Slaw

1. Add all ingredients except the Marsala into a bowl, mix together with a fork or pastry cutter, should be crumbly and uniform
2. Add the wine 1 fl oz at a time until you can mix the dough with your hands
3. Form dough into a ball and let sit for 30 min. While the dough rests, you can make the cannoli tubes
4. Remove a sheet of foil 12” long, fold it in half with the dull side out
5. Wrap the foil around the dowel (approx. 3 times around ), slide off and set aside
6. Repeat 8 times (makes 8 tubes)
7. Set aside
8. Lightly flour surface and roll out dough to 2-3 mm thick. (about the thickness of a nickel)
9. Use a 4” to 5” side plate or ring cutter to cut dough
10. Slide a foil tube over the dowel, wrap a disk of dough around the foiled dowel, wet the overlapping edges and press together gently to secure the edge
11. Remove from dowel and fry in a deep fryer or cast iron skillet @ 360F
12. Rotate using tongs if the shells “roll” during cooking
13. Fry until golden, remove and drain over paper towel
14. Cool for 2-3 min, remove the foil tube, cool foli for about 3 min before wrapping with another piece of dough
15. Once cool, hold in an air tight container until ready to use

Prepare Blueberry Cannoli Filling

1. Strain ricotta in cheesecloth, place in a strainer over a bowl or pan
2. Cover with plastic wrap, then with a kitchen towel
3. Put a weight on the ricotta (can or side plate), refrigerate overnight. 
4. Remove ricotta and place in mixer
5. Using paddle attachment,
6. beat until smooth
7. Add sugar, lemon juice,
8. zest & vanilla
9. In a separate bowl, toss blueberries with Limoncello,
10. let stand for 20 min
11. In separate bowl, add blueberry mixture into ricotta and fold together with spatula
12. Place mixture into fridge to firm up
13. When ready to serve, transfer blueberry ricotta mixture into piping bag with round tip

Prepare Lemon Thyme Crumble

1. Combine flour, sugar, lemon zest & thyme, mix together
2. Add cubes of cold butter and cut into mixture with a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs
3. Spread mixture onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper
4. Bake at 335 F for 12-15 min or until light golden. (watch this closely as each oven is different)
5. Remove from oven, allow to cool
6. Place in air tight container until ready to use