Phyllo Dough " Cannoli "...filled with Vanilla Ice Cream

Phyllo Dough " Cannoli "... filled with Vanilla Ice Cream. I came up with this dessert one night after seeing an Australian chef make a strawberry cream-filled "cannoli". He ended up using a tuile cookie to form the "cannoli", but I loved the idea and instantly thought of using phyllo dough. It would be unique and different...plus, I had some on hand. At the time I really didn't know if it would work. But I really wanted to give it a try. If it would work, I'd be thrilled...if not,well... I'd just have some crispy phyllo:). Funny how at the moment you think that you've invented something new... to later find out that it's been done before:). Anyway, at least it was new for me:)...

Since vanilla ice cream is one of my husband's favorites, I ended up using it to fill the "cannoli" shells. Next time, I would like to fill it with different fillings...maybe some chocolate mousse or pastry cream. The phyllo shell isn't very difficult to make. You just need a very light hand when removing them from the cannoli tubes and when filling them. Other than that, they're pretty much straightforward. You can fill the shells with whatever filling you like and decorate as desired. The shells can be made in advance and you can make as many shells as you need...just fill them the following day(or even the same day). If filling them with ice cream, they stay frozen and crispy for days. Love this type of dessert that can be made ahead.

The result was wonderful and I am glad it worked! It is a nice alternative to the traditional fried cannoli that's filled with sweetened orange-scented ricotta. Sure it isn't the same...and maybe I shouldn't even call it a "cannoli". But since it was inspired by the cannoli, I can only give it credit:). It's still a rather nice dessert, regardless of the name....and it was a sweet surprise for my husband. He loved it. Hope you enjoy...

You will need:

phyllo dough sheets (mine are 13x9 inches)

melted butter

cannoli molds*

* I think you can make the molds out of aluminum foil...or for better stability, you can make a tube out of cardboard and then wrap it in aluminum paper, making sure the aluminum paper is quite smooth...like I made my bread cones, except make the paper forms tube-like.

Filling of choice: just some ideas

ice cream

mousse

cannoli filling

pudding

custards

Decorate with: just ideas

melted chocolate

chopped pistachios or other nuts

berry sauce

chocolate sauce

caramel sauce

powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg.

2. Butter/oil cannoli forms.

3. Brush a 13x9 phyllo sheet with melted butter...fold in half and brush with melted butter...fold in half again to give you a strip and brush with melted butter.
4. Place buttered cannoli form on one end and roll up.

5. Place forms(seam side down) onto a parchment paper/silpat and bake in preheated oven for about 7-10 minutes or until golden brown...do keep an eye on it, so as not to burn.

6. Let forms cool a bit. Use oven mits to hold the cannoli forms and remove phyllo forms GENTLY....use a light hand, as the phyllo can break on you. If need be, twist gently as you pull the steel forms keeping your fingers in the ends(not the middle part).

7. Cool completely.

8. Decorate as desired...and let set completely.

9. Scoop some ice cream into a piping bag, making sure the ice cream isn't soft. Twist the end of the piping bag and squeeze the bag a bit to warm the ice cream enough to pipe through the cannoli forms.

10. Pipe ice cream in cannoli forms(being very gentle with the phyllo)...from both ends. Immediately place in freezer.

The ice cream-filled "cannoli" can be frozen ...place them in a container with lid and place some parchment paper in between the layers.