Lemon-ricotta cannoli

A light and easy dessert!

I love desserts that look fancy, taste fabulous and yet take just minutes to prepare; this is one such treat. You can find packaged cannoli shells at Italian food shops and many larger grocery stores stock them now as well. Lemon curd is really easy to make – here’s my favourite recipe  – but you can purchase it premade if you wish. I like to use ricotta in my cannoli as that’s more typical of Sicily, birthplace of this fine dessert, but feel free to swap in mascarpone or even cream cheese if you prefer. Note that these cannoli are best filled no more than an hour before serving, so that the shells stay crisp.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 g) extra smooth ricotta
• 1/2 cup (50 g) lemon curd, chilled
• 8 cannoli shells
• Grated lemon zest
• Powdered sugar

Method

• Stir together the ricotta and lemon curd until smooth. Taste and add a teaspoon or two of powdered (confectioners’) sugar if you prefer a sweeter filling.
• Transfer the mixture into a piping bag or a zippered food storage bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Pipe the filling into the cannoli shells (if using a zippered food storage bag, snip off one corner), filling the shells as much as possible without the ricotta mixture spilling out the ends.
• Place on a serving plate and sprinkle with lemon zest and powdered sugar, then serve.

Makes 8 cannoli.