Growing up in an Indian household, there was only ONE sign that summer was coming. And that was the ice cold mango kulfi being slurped up, careful to let a drop of that liquid gold melt away on the scorching hot Phoenix sidewalks. Growing up, my mom would make fresh Alphonso mango kulfis for hundreds of people. Friends, family, guests (even my non-Desi friends) would come by and casually ask if we had any of that homemade kulfi ready for them to eat (knowing very well it was always stocked up).
Inspired by that summer taste, I decided to put two of my favorite desserts together. Honestly, I wish I would have done this sooner, because it’s the perfect fusions of desserts. The crunch of the fried cannoli shell, the creaminess of the filling, paired beautifully with the subtle hint of saffron and pistachios is mouthwatering. I hope you try it and enjoy it!
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: Makes approximately 12 mini cannolis or 7 larger ones
Ingredients:
-One dozen Mini Cannolis (purchased on Amazon); trust me, they taste as fresh as newly friend ones!
-16 oz Ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 cup mango pulp (or blended ripe alpho mango)
-1 tbsp powdered cardamom
-1 pinch of blossomed* saffron (see tips below on how to blossom Saffron)
-1/2 cup of chopped pistachios and saffron for garnish (optional)
-1/4 cup powdered sugar to sift on top (optional) -Candy melts to dip cannoli edges (optional)
Directions:
1. One day before you want to make the cannolis, strain the Ricotta cheese in the fridge with a bowl underneath. You want the cheese as dry as possible.
2. After it is strained, whip together the Ricotta cheese with the powdered sugar, granulated sugar, Mango pulp, cardamom, and blossomed saffron with a hand mixer. Beat it until it is a smooth consistency and well blended.
3. Place mixture in a piping bag and refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Be careful not to over fill piping bag!
4. Meanwhile, melt Candy melts in microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds-at 30 second intervals. Once melted, dip ends of cannoli shells into chocolate. Place dipped shells in the freezer for 5 minutes. This is optional, but I feel adds a bit of fancy flair!
5. Once everything is chilled, cut the piping bag and fill up shells by sticking end of piping bag inside cannoli and squeezing cream into shell. Once you see the filling reaching the end of the shell, pull away from that side until the entire shell is filled.
6. To garnish, sprinkle the chopped pistachios and saffron on either end. You can also sift powdered sugar on top, to give it that true Cannoli touch.
7. Enjoy and tag me if you try it out! @allishaprabhakar
Tips & Tricks:
-Save time and buy the pre-made shells!!! Especially as a mom, I barely have time to put dinner quickly together. These shells are ordered from amazon, and taste super fresh.
-Blossoming the saffron: simply boil a tbsp of water, and place the saffron in the boiling water and take it off the heat. The heat from the hot water will open up the saffron and really make that bright orange color come through.
-Make sure to strain the cheese!!!! If you don’t, filling will be runny- especially since you’re adding mango pulp.
-Only fill the shells when you’re ready to serve them. You don’t want them to get soggy! You can make the filling beforehand and place it in the fridge until ready to serve.
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