Pastries

Cannoli

Cannoli Shells
1 1/3 cup Flour
1 tbsp Butter or Shortening
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
Sweet White Wine
Oil
 
Sift together flower, salt and sugar.  Add shortening and mix well, then add just enough wine to make a stiff but non-flaky dough.  Roll dough into a ball and let sit for at least an hour, or refrigerate.
 
Run dough through a pasta machine or roll it out very thin (about 1/8 inch thick).  Cut rolled dough into squares and roll around floured mold.  Fry one at a time in deep oil or on a skillet.
 
Allow shells to completely cool before filling.
 
Cannoli Filling
Source: Philomena D'Attilo
Ricotta Cheese (1 32-oz container)
~3/4 cup Confectioner's Sugar
Dash of salt
 
(1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds)
(1/2 cup small chocolate chips)
(1 tbsp diced candied orange peel)
(1 tbsp vanilla)
(Rum; for flavor)
 
Beat ricotta cheese until smooth and fluffy, add salt and sweeten to taste with confectioner's sugar.  Add one or more additions (Listed above) depending on personal preference.
 
Put this filling into tiny tart shells.

Lemon Bars

Source: Cooks Illustrated
Modified By: Heather Hayden, Thomas D'Attilo

Ingredients

Crust
2 cup (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
3 cup (21 ounces) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon salt
9 large eggs plus 9 large yolks
6 teaspoons grated lemon zest 
2 cup juice (12 lemons)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
Instructions
1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl. Add melted butter and stir until combined. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press into even layer over entire bottom of pan (do not wash bowl). Bake crust 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
3. FOR THE FILLING: While crust bakes, whisk sugar, flour, cream of tartar, and salt together in now-empty bowl. Whisk in eggs and yolks until no streaks of egg remain. Whisk in lemon zest and juice. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and registers 160 degrees. Off heat, stir in butter. Strain filling through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl.
4. Pour filling over hot crust and tilt pan to spread evenly. Bake until filling is set and barely jiggles when pan is shaken, 30 to 38 minutes. (Filling around perimeter of pan may be slightly raised.) Let bars cool completely, at least 1½ hours. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into bars, wiping knife clean between cuts as necessary. Before serving, dust bars with confectioners' sugar, if using.

Nut Roll

Nut Roll Pastry Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

Directions

  1. Mix all nut roll pastry ingredients together. Chill for 3 hours.
  2. Roll dough out as thin as possible.
  3. Spread filling over dough.
  4. Roll up and place on greased cookie sheet. They should be touching and fill the entire sheet.
  5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool before cutting apart.