Lemon mousse cannolis
So Amazon Prime day caused our kitchen to fill with new gadgets. One of the things that Michael ordered was cannoli molds, and he was ready to use them. We used Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipe https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/homemade-cannoli-recipe-2042720 from the Food Network for the Cannoli shells.
For the filling, well, we made that up. It’s more lemon curd and whipped crème. A bit unorthodox but still tasty.
Cannolis
Ingredients
2 cups of flour
1 tbs granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tbs + 2 tsp unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
1 egg yolk
½ cup dry white wine
Plus+
1 quart of canola oil
Flour for rolling
1 egg lightly beaten (egg wash)
Directions
- Sift the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Add the butter, smushing between your fingers until the mixture is sandy.
- Add the egg yolk and wine and mix until the dough is smooth.
- Wrap this in plastic wrap, squishing out any extra air.
- Rest in the fridge for 5-10 minutes
- Heat enough canola oil in a heavy bottom pot to be able to submerge the cannoli. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sift a layer of flour onto your counter and flour a rolling pin
- Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick
- Cut the dough into 4-inch rounds. (Alex says you should end up with about 24, hmm…I think I got a dozen, maybe mine were thicker?)
- Wrap each circle around a cannoli mold, using a little of the egg wash on the ends to seal it shut so it won’t fall off the mold
- Flare the edges out from the mold so that the oil can get in to cook them.
- Use a pair of tongs to hold the edge of the mold to lower it in the oil.
- Cook until crispy for 2 to 3 minutes. *Here I insert a helpful tip. Keep your instant-read thermometer nearby if you don’t have a fryer, it is very easy for the temperature to continue to increase and overcook your cannoli. Likewise, it’s easy to turn the heat down a little too far or for just the process of cooking the cannoli to lower the oil temperature. We had some casualty cannolis as a result.*
- Remove the cannoli carefully from the oil.
- Holding the mold in one hand with the tongs double a dish towel and grip the cannoli shell with the other and carefully slide it off the mold.
- Repeat until you are done!
Lemon curd crème filling
I cheated on this, it was a cup of crème whipped then I folded in some lemon curd I had in the fridge. This went into a piping bag with a star tip and I piped it in before serving.
Watch our quick video for the highlights.

Bailey Family 2017 Chardonnay
The Aspen block was planted with Pinot Grill in 2006. In 2014 they grafted over ½ of the black to Chardonnay Clones 75, 76, 95, and 548. The block is on Marine sediment and sits at between 500 and 600 feet.
The 2017 vintage was warm with an early bud break and a dry growing season. Then cooler temperatures gave great acidity and mineral notes as well as rich deep fruit at harvest.
This wine was aged for 8 months in neutral oak and they made just 229 cases, which are sold by allocation only.
100% Chardonnay 12.5% abv SRP $85
We paired this with a beautiful Chardonnay from Bailey Family Wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This wine was bright but full and complex. With the lemon curd filling, it was delicious and we did use a bit of it in the cannoli dough.
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Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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