~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

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.

18 comments:

Leah said...

Such a great idea! You have a wonderful blog.

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Yummy!!!!!!!

Andreea said...

Superba ideea Ellie! Thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

you are a genius hands down! What a super idea.

Speranta said...

Arata excelent,sunt impresionata!

Ellie said...

Thank you for the sweet comments! Very kind of you...

I am glad you liked the idea:)...

Hopefully you can give it a try.
~Ellie

megi said...

What a fantastic idea, I just love how pretty they look. I am making your black bean brownies this weekend. :)

Ellie said...

Thanks, Megi. Curious to see how you like the brownies.

I just saw one of your older posts on the walnut, cinnamon and orange cookies~ mustachudos.

Would love to try them soon.

di_ani said...

They look very beautiful and delicious, great idea!
Sincerely, Diana

Ellie said...

Diana, So sweet of you to stop by...thank you for your kind comment.
I am so glad you liked the idea...maybe you will try it?:)
Have a great day!

muppy said...

I love the look of these! Very clever of you, I might have to try it :)

Ellie said...

Muppy, Thanks for stopping by. Would love to hear how you like them,....

Alina---Explora Cuisine said...

Hey Ellie, mi-e tare drag blogul tau, asa ca ti-am lasat un premiu/leapsa la mine pe blog :) Te pup :*

Ellie said...

Explora Cuisine, Esti o scumpa... multumesc mult! Apreciez ca te-ai gandit la mine... si ca iti place blogul. It means a lot!
Iti doresc si ti-e o zi buna!~Ellie

The Fillo Factory said...

Hi Ellie,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful, unique fillo idea. This would be a beautiful party dessert. We will be glad to share your link with our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest followers. Hope to connect with you there.

Best wishes,
Sara
The Fillo Factory
http://facebook.com/fillofactory

Ellie said...

Hi Sara,

I'm glad you like the recipe... it's a fun one:). Feel free to grab the link. I don't mind. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it...and thanks for stopping by.

Unknown said...

looks so beautiful. i plan on making a week in advance. you say it can be frozen. please let me know how much in advance to defrost if i plan to serve for after dinner desert. thanks

Ellie said...

Unknown, well, you can defrost just a few minutes until the filling is to your liking. Maybe about 5 minutes or so... just enough to have the ice scream soft enough but not totally frozen. Treat them as you would ice cream desserts. You definitely don't want the ice cream to melt. Enjoy!