The Cannoncino, soft cheeses pastry, pear and red wine sauce

This month we present the recipe for a sweet specialty of Santa Elisabetta: the Cannoncino with soft cheeses, pears and red wine sauce of Chef Rocco de Santis and Pastry Chef Alfredo Brio. You can prepare it at home or come and enjoy it from Tuesday to Saturday night at the Santa Elisabetta Restaurant in the magical atmosphere of the Torre della Pagliazza. You can book one of the exclusive seven tables on the first floor of the famous Byzantine tower at +39.055.27370 or by email at info@hotelbrunelleschi.it.

Ingredients

For the cannolo (tube)

• 100 g egg white
• 100 g sugar
• 100 g softened butter
• 100 g cake flour

For the filling

• 250 g buffalo milk ricotta
• 250 g buffalo milk kefir
• 250 g mascarpone
• 150 g icing sugar

For the red wine bubbles

• 1 litre red wine
• 80 g acacia honey
• 100 g sugar
• spices: cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and pink pepper as required
• 40 g soya lethicin

Procedure

Combine all the ingredients in a food mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until smooth and even. Leave in the fridge for an hour.

Meanwhile, bring the wine to the boil, allow it to evaporate and lose its alcohol content. Put the other ingredient in to infuse and leave to cool, then filter and put to one side.

For the filling, strain all the ingredients and place in a piping bag and put in the fridge.

Now, spread the mixture to make the cannoli tubes using a 10 x 4cm template  and bake in the oven at 185°c for about 5 minutes until the right colour. Then, quickly wrap the pastry around a special mould to create the cannolo tube shape.

Fill the tubes with the ricotta mousse and put on a plate. Then, use a hand blender to whisk the red wine into a froth. Pour on top of the cannoli and decorate at will.