The puff pastry cannoli with mortadella and pistachio cream belong to the category of appetizers exquisite, refined finger food, perfect for holiday tables like Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, and special occasions. They can also be served at a buffet as a snack for aperitifs by reducing their size. In short, with just a few simple ingredients, we will impress our guests. Both the puff pastry cannoli and the mortadella and pistachio cream can be made well in advance, with the care of keeping the cream in the fridge until it is used and storing the cannoli in a food bag. Remember that the cannoli should be filled at the last moment to keep them crispy.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 7
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
Ingredients
- 1 roll round puff pastry (also gluten-free)
- 14.1 oz spreadable cheese (also lactose-free)
- 3 slices mortadella with pistachios (also gluten-free)
- to taste freshly ground pepper
- 2.1 oz chopped pistachios
Tools
- 1 Pastry Cutter 4 inches in diameter
- 7 parchment paper squares 6 by 6 inches
- 7 Cannoli Molds
- 1 Piping Bag
Preparation
1) Unroll the puff pastry and, using a pastry cutter or glass, cut out circles of 4 inches in diameter.
2) Cut 7 parchment paper squares, dampen only one side, and wrap the damp side around the mold, pressing the edges with your fingers to adhere well; this way, the cannoli will slide off the molds easily.
3) Wrap each puff pastry circle around a mold already lined with parchment paper and make sure the edges of the pastry overlap; press them slightly to prevent them from opening during baking.
As we form the cannoli, place them, with the closure facing down, on a baking sheet also lined with parchment paper.
Place the baking sheet in the coldest part of the fridge and leave them for about 15 minutes while we preheat the oven to 392°F. Puff pastry does not like to be handled too much, as it otherwise overheats, and the final product would be one that does not puff or flake during baking.
4) After 15 minutes, take out the baking sheet and bake it in the middle of the already hot oven for about 20 minutes, until the cannoli are well-cooked and puffed.
5) Remove them immediately and let them cool before touching, to avoid breaking.
6) In the meantime, prepare the mortadella and pistachio cream. In a blender, place 3 slices of chopped mortadella, ground pepper, 1 oz of unsalted pistachios, spreadable cheese, and blend until smooth, without lumps. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
7) Place the cream in a piping bag, cut off the tip, and fill all the cannoli. Chop the remaining pistachios, place them in a low bowl, and coat the ends of our savory cannoli.
Extra idea if we don’t have the molds. If we don’t have cannoli molds or don’t have enough, we can do it this way: cut two small squares of parchment paper about 6 inches by 6 for each individual cannolo.
Dampen only one side of one of the two squares and place the second square on that side; roll them tightly together. This way, the two sheets put together and rolled up will replace the steel molds.
Form the cannoli: roll (not tightly) each puff pastry circle around a finger, forming a cannolo. Slide the cannolo off the finger and insert the rolled parchment paper inside. Place them on the baking sheet, with the closure of the cannolo we’ve formed facing down, and proceed to put them in the fridge as described above.
