Ingredients
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
- 2 Quarts whole milk
- 1 C heavy cream
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Special Equipment
- Thermometer – this is essential for monitoring the milk temperature.
- Cheese Cloth and Strainer – used to separate the curds and whey.
Cannoli Filling
- 4 C ricotta cheese (a little over 2 lbs.)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1 ½ C powdered sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- ½ C heavy cream beaten to soft peaks
Strawberry Basil Sauce
- 4 pints fresh strawberries
- 4 oz. strawberry jam
- ¼ C roughly chopped fresh basil
- Sugar to taste
Peach Salsa
- 6 ripe peaches
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh jalapeno (stem, ribs and seeds discarded)
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
- 1 heaping Tbsp peach preserves
Directions
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Pour milk and cream into a large sauce pan and heat over medium high heat, stirring every once in a while to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture reaches 200° F, remove from the heat, pour in the lemon juice and stir just to combine. Return the pot to the heat and bring the temp back up to 200 ° F. Remove from heat and let the pot sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Prepare your strainer by placing the strainer in a large bowl where the strainer can sit high in the bowl. Line the strainer with 3 single layers of damp cheesecloth that extends over the sides of the strainer. After the 10 minutes, pour the contents of the whole pot through the strainer. Allow this to drain for about a hour. You will have a thick and delicious ricotta cheese that can be used in lots of recipes!. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 cups.
Cannoli Filling
Combine ricotta, vanilla, powdered sugar and orange zest and mix until well combined. Fold in whipped cream to lighten the mixture. The mixture should be stiff enough but not too stiff to pipe. Chill until ready to use. Using a pastry bag fitted with a very large round tip (Wilton 2A) or star tip (Wilton 1M), fill the bag with the mixture. Pipe to fill one side of the shell and then pipe to fill the other side. This should be done as close to service as possible (a couple of hours is okay) since the shells will get soggy if they sit too long. Dust with powdered sugar. Dip ends in mini chocolate chips, chocolate vermicelli, sprinkles, chopped pistachios, etc. Serve with one of these great sauces. Makes enough filling for 36 cannoli.
Strawberry Basil Sauce
Clean and hull the strawberries. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Process by pulsing and then processing until all ingredients are combined and smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Extra sauce can be frozen. Makes 4 cups of sauce.
Peach Salsa
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Heat the peach preserves until melted. Pour over salsa and stir to combine. Allow the salsa to sit for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld. This salsa is great with the cannoli – but it can also be used with pork or just eaten with tortilla chips. Makes approximately 2 cups. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.