Author Notes
Tacos are one of those foods that are very versatile, I look at it as having an almost lucid form; you can identify a taco and probably conjure up a mental image of a taco, but the definition of what a taco should and can be is left up to you. There is an almost limitless combination of flavours you can put together inside the taco shell. Tacos are especially well suited to summer; they are nice and light, quick and easy to prepare, and there are so many delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs in season to play with. So I have decided t take tacos to the next level and make a light, summery, dessert taco using a canoli shell as the taco shell. This is a very simple and easy dessert that requires little prep, perfect for a relaxing summer evening; it would pair nicely with a sweet floral or fruity white wine such as a moscato.
—WTF, A Dessert Anthology
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Ingredients
- mascarpone filling
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100g
mascarpone
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50g
devonshire cream
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25g
creamed honey
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3g
finely chopped sweet basil
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honey dew
& pineapple salad
-
90g
honey dew
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70g
pineapple
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5g
regular mustard
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5g
dijon
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1 pinch
salt
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15g
honey
- canoli shells
-
190g
ap flour
-
25g
sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
cinnamon
-
20g
butter
-
1
egg
-
1
egg yolk
-
60 milliliters
sweet white wine
-
8 milliliters
white wine vinegar
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15 milliliters
water
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470 milliliters
oil for frying
Directions
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For those of you who are wondering what a canoli is, it is an Italian dessert consisting of a light crispy cylindrical shaped pastry that is filled with mousse or whipped mascarpone cheese; the shell is usually deep fried and rolled in sugar. To make the canoli dough simply mix together all of the ingredients and need on a flowered surface for five minutes until you have a nice smooth dough, cover the dough and refrigerate for one hour.
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It is best to make the honey dew and pineapple salad 3 or four hours before serving so that it can have time to marinade. Chop the pineapple and honey dew into small 1 cm pieces and in a separate bowl mix together the honey, Dijon, and mustard, toss the fruit in with the marinade to coat it. Cover the marinating fruit with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
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The mascarpone cheese filling is as easy as mixing together all the ingredients adding the finely chopped basil and then cover and refrigerate until serving.
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By this point the canolli dough should be ready to roll out. Knead the dough a little to rework the dough, roll it out on a flowered surface to ½ a centimetre in thickness; let the dough relax for a few minutes before cutting the circles out. Heat up the vegetable oil in a sauce pot to 375 degrees Fahrenheit; make sure your oil is at least 3 inches deep so that you can fully submerge your taco shells. Use a 4 inch round cutter to cut out circles, or roughly cut out 4” circles with a knife, you will need a flat ended spatula that is heat resistant close to the same width as your taco shell because you will use it to push the shell into the oil and form the fold in the taco shell (wooden cooking spatulas work well). Place the shells in the oil one at a time and immediately push it down with your flat spatula, keep it submerged until the shell is evenly golden brown; the shell will blister and bubble but that is how they are supposed to look.
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Fill the canoli shells with your mascarpone filling and fruit salad, top it off with some freshly cut basil and bing bang boom your done with plenty of time left to enjoy your evening.
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