Seeking the REAL "Brooklyn Style" Cannoli Recipe

[vtheory]

I have a serious Cannoli recipe problem, which I've been unable to resolve for several years. As many cannoli-philes have probably figured out, none of the recipes posted online or on this forum actually produce what I would now call the "Brooklyn style" cannoli, which is the cannoli of my youth.

I am reaching out to the Chowhounders out there who have worked in a bakery to share their secrets, because at this point, I am convinced that the recipe or secret to producing the cannoli I am looking for (and the cannoli style most beloved by most new yorkers) is simply not in the public domain.

What do I mean by Brooklyn style cannoli? First, let's get it straight - after trying to track down the "brooklyn style" cannoli recipe for over 10 years, I have noticed that in the US, there are several cannoli styles present. In Boston, most cannoli are just ricotta and sugar (think Fortunato brothers or Rocco's). Many people love this style, and to them, this IS cannoli. However, that's not what I'm looking for. If you get a cannoli in most spots in Manhattan, they will at least use impastata, which is a higher fat, low moisture version of ricotta, and candied citron. There is also other variants, such as Villabate's in Brooklyn, which seems to use some sort of orange or other liquer base (I only tried it once, not my thing, though they use a great ricotta), but it is a variation you won't find often. Occasionally, you will also find a cannoli that uses cinnamon oil, which is one of the key "secret" ingredients often listed on boards.

However, if you have ever been to a cannoli spot like Court Street Pastry, Alba's (now Luigi's in Staten Island), Cristoforo Colombo or even Veniero's, you probably have found out that absolutely no cannoli recipe out there can get you the flavor of these bakeries (which I am calling "Brooklyn" style, although you can find similar cannoli on Staten Island, parts of New Jersey, and other random areas). It is a hard flavor to describe, which definitely uses cinnamon oil or some other cinnamon source and of course, citron, but there is another flavor there that I've been unable to replicate using any of the recipes online (and I don't think it's Sheep's Milk Ricotta, which I've obtained from several sources on different occasions, with no success).

At first, I thought it might be some sort of anise extract, and perhaps that is part of the "secret", as that at least seems to get me part of the way. At times, I've thought that perhaps I am limited in my selection of ricotta, or that perhaps they do something to the cheese to create more flavor (though I don't think most of these places add mascarpone). Recently, I visited a pastry place in Philadelphia called Potito's that has a very interesting filling, and they informed me that they actually make their own ricotta - perhaps that is part of the secret (although I note theirs does not use cinnamon oil)?

Either way, despite my efforts to use every possible combination of the following: anise extract, cinnamon oil, sambucca, rose water, orange flower water, strega, maraschino liquer, rum, cacao liquer, Almond extract/Amaretto, etc, my cannoli filling still tastes absolutely nothing like these "brooklyn style" cannoli places.

If anyone has any advice, I would incredibly appreciate it. I have tried every variation of every recipe on the internet and am using high quality impastata and have tried maybe a dozen different cinnamon oils at this point.

[toveggiegirl]

Have you tried Gino's Pastry Shop's cannoli recipe from The Arthur Avenue Cookbook?
http://leitesculinaria.com/3630/recip...
Also, do you drain you ricotta overnight to thicken it

[coll]

I use Scala Brand "Old Fashioned" ricotta (made by Aiello) but I've seen another brand packed in an unusual type container (supposedly how all ricotta used to be packed before Pollyo), unfortunately I can't remember the name. I think this might be it http://www.calabrocheese.com/cheese2.... This type of ricotta is very thick, you don't have to do anything to it. You will probably eat some right out of the container as it tastes so good. I use it for everything, couldn't bear to use a grocery store brand anymore. Besides all the flavorings, I think a good quality cheese would be the most important ingredient in a cannoli filling.

I only made cannoli once, and the smoke from frying the shells convinced me to just buy them in the future.

[vtheory]

I use either drained Hand-Dipped Calabro Cheese or Impastata right now, but like I said, no results. I have also seen the "arthur avenue cookbook" recipe. Unfortunately, it is woefully inadequate (I don't even think it makes any sense - a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon oil?! That would be radioactive! It also does not include Citron).

I think there is an ingredient I am missing, or a special technique that is not listed on internet recipes. Again, I call on all bakers who've worked in a shop making such cannoli to share their secrets.

[coll]

I worked at a bakery that made great cannoli, but the owner never passed on his secrets, except to the head baker. Good luck to you, maybe someone will be more generous.

[roxlet]

My father's original recipe for casateddi, a Sicilian pastry that someone I know once called a "cannoli ravioli," called for something called ricottoni, which, if you know your Italian suffixes, means "big ricotta." Strangely, no one I have ever asked has ever had ricottoni, though if my father wrote it on the recipe, I am sure that it did exist. He grew up in Brooklyn, by the way. I have made cannoli cream using the ricotta from the store on end of Arthur Avenue. It is so think that they actually cut it with a knife.

[ttoommyy]

I know what you mean about the elusive taste you are trying to find. I've never made a cannoli filling that comes near that taste. Some things are just better left to the pros and not made at home. That's what I have decided about cannoli. (though I'd love to know the answer to the elusive flavor)

[vtheory]

I wish leaving cannoli making to the pros were an option. Living in a city where there are no good cannoli to be found, I do not have the luxury of leaving it to the pros. Necessity is the mother of invention and I am very much hoping that someone can provide a useful lead.

I have spent over 10 years trying to perfect the recipe and my cannoli cream still tastes very little like what you find in these Brooklyn bakeries. With only a handful of places that actually make this style of cannoli, surely someone must share the recipe so that when these stores are gone, we can still enjoy their delicacies. It doesn't seem to make any sense - I don't know of any other pastry that has so many different recipes, none of which taste like the most famous versions available.

By the way, roxlet, Ricottone is a variant of Ricotta, though I don't think it's the one used by these bakeries. They definitely use a type of impastata, although it's unclear whether they have access to a special batch or make their own a special way, like Potito's. I tried several different suppliers of Impastata when I lived in NY and found most of them tasted fairly similar. I currently have no reason to believe that this is the problem in my search.

[toveggiegirl]

Food mysteries such as this one intrigue me. Sadly, I've never had a "Brookyln" cannoli so I can't help you based on flavour. I did however find an old (1986) article that stated that, rather than citron, true Sicilian cannoli use zucca, or preserved watermelon rind. I've also seen recipes that call for fresh cantelope. More frequently, I see candied squash (or zucatta) used. Could one of these melons/squashes be your elusive ingredient?
Here is a link to that article: http://www.bestcannoli.com/news/news6...
Some recipes call for blending the ricotta, sugar, and oils and letting the mixture sit overnight. This melding time could really impact the final flavour. Many traditional recipes call for passing the ricotta through a seive (or silk, if you want to be really traditional!) to get a very creamy texture. Have you tried this step?
Also, is your impastata/ricotta from cow's or sheep's milk (the latter being highly preferable)?

[awbc]

I have not found the texture of the New York style filling. I am using a combination of ricotta and whipped cream, with powdered sugar, mini semi-sweet chip, and orange peel. I am living in Eastern Washington State, and there are no bakeries here. My daughter asked me to make cannoli for her 16th birthday, so I was here looking for shell recipes! Try whipped cream with ricotta (blended, and re-chilled). Let me know what you think. I miss NY food!!! :)

[Joebob]

The best filling I've had used whipped cream plus ricotta, sugar, and finely-diced candied fruit. Made long ago by a very sweet Italian girl.

[maplesugar]

vtheory - Perhaps Sambucca Romano is that "secret ingredient"? There's an older post here discussing Brooklyn cannoli: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/2765... When you do manage to solve the mystery please report back :)

[NYCsarah]

Isn't it crazy! We all are searching for the magic recipe & everyone here has searched & not come up with the real thing it's absolutely crazy ~ for the filling I found that ~ draining the ricotta is a MUST ~ the flavoring is simple ~ it's cinnamon oil ~ vanilla ~ & the sugar of ur choice ~ I just got marscapone the other day ~ & it is a smooth creamy testure ~ italian cream cheese ~ very very rich ~ tastes likes heavy cream ~ So I tried mixing the two got the flavor right ~ as I'm from the Bronx ~ Arthur Avenue ~ and had the real thing growing up ~ but didn't drain the ricotta long enough ~ so we just broke up the shells & dipped them in the mixture ~ sinfully delicious ~ Have some coffee nearby ~ to help break down all that richness !

[j.ferranti]

try pistacio

[sdono]

I had the great luxury (or should I say torture) of working at an authentic Brooklyn Italian pastry shop at the impressionable young age of 13.

The name of the Pastry Shop was Angelo's Royal Pastry Shop on 86th St. and 25th Ave in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.

The owner, Emilio, had a personal affection for quality cannoli and we (the many strange Italian American Men who volunteered to hang out at the shop on weekends yielding their metal spoons?) even hand filled the shells with spoons instead of pastry bags to ensure that the crisp delicate shells had the maximum amount of filling possible.

As a young pot washer and apprentice baker, I was eventually given the keys to the (Cadillac- Emillio did drive a Deville with the fake spoke tire on the trunk) famed Cannoli recipe. I recall one post St. Joseph's Holiday week when a newly highered baker from Italy made the Cannoli filling and made the mistake of adding a tad bit much cinnamon oil to the entire 80 quart batch. We had a line full of Italian wives and grandmothers waiting outside the shop on our off day, Monday holding their bizarre tasting Cannolis and Sfingi expecting full refunds for what they thought was " ricotta gone bad"

Needless to say 30 years later, I am still in the food business, and have retained some of my memories of their great recipe.
As I recall it was 3 parts Impastata to 1 part Whole Milk Ricotta, some vanilla extract, very little cinnamon oil was used and it sweetened with granulated sugar, - be careful not to overbeat as the filling will become quite runny. At the end we mixed in by hand semi sweet chocolate chips. The ends of the cannoli were dipped in pistachio or green colored coconut (bizarre)

The Don

[coll]

Wait til I tell my husband, that's exactly where he grew up. The pistachios on the end are definitely mandatory. I can tell this recipe is going to be perfect. Luckily I can buy the shells already made, as I said above, they smoked me out of the kitchen when I made from scratch.

[vtheory]

The Don,

Thank you for your input. However, I must say that I've tried your recipe before (aside from adding the whole milk, which is an interesting twist) and it does not quite get me there. There is still an additional flavor in the cannolis I get in Brooklyn that does not come out when I simply mix impastata, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon oil (which is the recipe one often finds online). A question I have for you, or just in general, is: is it possible that this has to do with the type of impastata being used? I have increasingly come to suspect that perhaps the type of impastata most of these places are using has a lot of additional flavor that may come from some sort of cheesemaking process. My thought being that most impastatas I have purchased may have more of a "neutral" flavor, perhaps more desirable for making other recipes. If that is not the missing key, then I am thinking perhaps an additional milk-based product is being added to the mix, or an additional flavoring of some sort (though I have been unable to put my finger on what it would be). Having visited some cannoli places in arthur ave, I noticed that some cannoli did not use cinnamon oil but still seemed to have that "special" flavor and to me it seemed like it had to do w/ the quality of the ricotta.

If that is the case, any thoughts on where someone might find this special impastata?

[coll]

He said impastata AND ricotta, are you using both? Impastata by itself is too thick, for me.

[Cherylptw]

I grew up in NY..Queens to be exact but hung out in Brooklyn A LOT...every time I go back I have to scout out cannolis as they're one of my favorite Italian desserts (the second being ricotta cheesecake) I've been wanting to make some and I'll try the recipe above. Thanks for posting.

[1pastrygirl]

Could it be ...orange flower water or maybe a tiny bit of lime?
If not explain what you mean by flavor missing.... is it a tangy, floral?

[vtheory]

The secret ingredient appears to be NUTMEG OIL + cinnamon oil, combined (very little cinnamon oil). I can't believe it - I have >NEVER< seen nutmeg oil listed in any recipe. This gives the exact flavor of your favorite cannoli places in NYC (i.e. veniero's, court st pastry, etc).

If anyone else has a chance to try it out, let me know your thoughts!

[maplesugar]

I'll have to give it a try closer to the holidays - thanks vtheory

[paprkutr]

Please post your recipe, and do you make your own shells?

[lindagr]

Just wondering, Have you tried the nutmeg oil? What do you think about using mace?
I have been searching for a more homemade cannoli and/or cassata filling flavor and ran across this post.No impastata ricotta in my area, italian stores don't even know what I'm referring to. . .
I am trying to create a signature dessert as my own - funny that I chose cannoli in that I'm Greek:)
Thank you for all your research efforts.

[lilgi]

lindagr, my signature dessert (having tweaked from several traditional, handed-down recipes and a very reliable source from Artopolis in Astoria) is Melomakarona, and I'm Italian. My favorite desserts are Greek. Life is strange :)

[lindagr]

That's too funny!
My mom makes the best melomakarona. It's the cookie that she is the best known for. The greek women at our church continuously ask her to 'show' them her secret by actually demonstrating her recipe - the same recipe that they each have. They are convinced that she is leaving a vital ingredient out! I'm convinced that it's in the 'touch' - just delicious!.

[lilgi]

Don't get me goin! I had a friend of mine take my Kourabiedes to work, and a fellow Greek coworker kept grabbing her, eyes wide open, repeatedly saying, "She's not Greek?! Really??!"

One of my most treasured cookbooks is the one compiled by members of a Greek Orthodox church and I tell you I agree 100%, there is something ethereal about the food of a good Greek cook that cannot be translated to a recipe!

[foreverhungry]

vtheory - would you mind posting the recipe you use? Now I'm really wanting to make cannolis, but would like to try your recipe using the Impastata, and the combination of cinnamon and nutmeg oils.

Thanks in advance!

[smilingal]

Wondering, with all your experience, if you have a tried and true Napolean recipe?

[andr01d]

I'm not from Brooklyn, and I have never had a cannoli outside my (Sicilian) family, so I can't compare, but I can tell you that growing up in my family there were two cannoli options: ricotta and "pudding". The ricotta variety were too "weird" for me as kid, so I always opted for the pudding. This pudding is basically cornstarch, milk, sugar, orange zest (light hand), vanilla, and cinnamon oil. The ricotta ones were distinguished with a cherry and the pudding with a piece of shaved chocolate. This same pudding is also used for my favorite layered cake. Wondering if you might be having this variety? (though I never find references to this pudding online)

[coll]

My SIL brought a couple of Baba Au Rhum from her local Italian bakery for Christmas. I'm used to getting them plain, but these two had a cannoli filling down the middle of one (with a cherry on top!) and the other had a pudding filling, the same thick type as I've seen in other pastries. She told us that it was a pudding filling, so it must be something requested specifically. Apparently a cherry is some kind of secret sign of cannoli filling in their other pastries. I was wondering why a cherry on a Baba au Rhum, now I know. The cannoli she brought had choc chips on the ends of half of them, I have a few of these pastries left over and will now be forced to eat them for breakfast, to see what I can see. That would be funny if the chocolate chip cannoli had pudding filling too.

PS, I'm going to have to be on the lookout for cinnamon oil, didn't realize it was such a key component.

[immommi]

I too have been searching for the ultimate Brooklyn cannoli recipe. Having grown up around Court Street Pastry, Alba, Villabate, and Angelo's Royal Pastry, I would like to replicate the filling for other personal desserts. I knew one of the pastry makers who was in charge of the cannolis from Villabate, but I never had the foresight to ask for the filling recipe before he passed away. Now one of the pastry chefs from Veniero's has opened his own pasticceria, Monaco's in Brooklyn on 85th and 3rd Avenue, and my husband knows him personally. Who knows if with a little bit of luck I can get a recipe!

[lilgi]

Please forgive me if this was already mentioned, but as soon as I saw this thread I knew I had to post. I've also been looking for that ultimate recipe but the one that I have I just acquired, and haven't tried it yet.

Biaggio from Staten Island was challenged by B. Flay and he mentions that his "secret ingredient" is Crema Bianco Mangiare. I accessed Biaggio's cannolo recipe from Food Network and Mario Batali has a recipe for the Crema. Biaggio does not mention in the recipe the crema at all, just on the throwdown show, so it isn't clear what quantity he uses in his cannoli, only that he mentions on the throwdown challenge that that is his secret ingredient.

I have yet to purchase the tubes to try it out, but his cannoli looked out of this world! Bobby lost hehe, no surprise there, THAT was a challenge!

Edit: Forgot to post the links
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/blanc-mange-crema-bianco-mangiare-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ca...

I wonder if he substitutes some of the Crema for the cream mentioned above?

[bellivi]

right now at costco they have a " cannoli kit" the company is out of New york it's in a box of 24 mini shells and two bags of cannoli cream for $9.99. I grew up in the bronx and have lived in CA for 30 years but have yet to find the illusive flavor of a NY Cannoli.. But the Cannoli kit is a true NY cannoli taste. I brought 5 boxes stuck them in my freezer. Only thing with costco is there today gone tomorrow. I hope they stay.

[lilgi]

elusive is right, Kansaskate mentions further down the inclusion of some clove oil which seems spot on. I still intend to make them from scratch (someday soon I hope) but thanks for the heads up.

[PZITALY]

I saw your thread only today February 1 2011. I too always are in search of Italian American Pastry Shop recipes. I have a passion for seeking this Italian Yellow Cream recipe used also in Canolli's and in Italian Rum Cakes and in Zeppole di San Giuseppe as done in the Boston Italian Pastry Shops. There is also a secret ingredient in the Italian Yellow Cream don't know if it is vanillin or whether they are putting some Rum Syrup with Virginia Dare Roman Punch and a Sugar syrup in the Pastry Cream or Italian Yellow Cream. Do any Pastry chefs at these Italian Pastry Shops know the recipe and secret ingredients.

[mark111757]

supposedly this place sells ricotta impastata

/www.lombardisgourmet.com/

dont know if they are still in business or not...they are located in fairport, new york

[KansasKate]

Have you tried using 1 drop of clove oil for every 2 drops of cinnamon oil?

[bellivi]

right now at costco they have a " cannoli kit" the company is out of New york it's in a box of 24 mini shells and two bags of cannoli cream for $9.99. I grew up in the bronx and have lived in CA for 30 years but have yet to find the illusive flavor of a NY Cannoli.. But the Cannoli kit is a true NY cannoli taste. I brought 5 boxes stuck them in my freezer. Only thing with costco is there today gone tomorrow. I hope they stay.

[magj0y]

Alrighty, after searching through the thread a mix of ricotta and Mascarpone cheese along with NUTMEG OIL + cinnamon oil, if I can find it, will be the winner of weds. cannoli

[NYCsarah]

for everyone I grew up in the Bronx & went to school at MT Carmel which is around the corner of Arthur Avenue & ate the real Italian cannoli's ~ they " are " made with " CINAMMON OIL" for sure! and no other spices ~ it's the drier ricotta ~ or the impastata as it is a drier cheese ~ or do the cheese cloth ~ we like ours w/chocolate chips!