Cannoli Crackers Deserve a Place on Your Cheese Board
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
The cheese selection should be center stage on a cheese board, but ample consideration must be given to the crackers. Maybe it’s the sleeve of Club crackers you grew up with, crunchy slices of baguette, or an untameable pile of Pretzel Crisps, but consider pairing your cheeses and dips with something unexpected. Try adding cannoli shell crackers to the mix.
Cannoli shells are the crunchy, slightly bubbly, tube of deep-fried pastry that surrounds a lightly sweetened cheese mixture to form one of the most beloved Italian treats: the cannoli. The cannoli itself is divine and needs no improvement, but if you deconstruct the parts, you’re looking at a crunchy vehicle that carries a tasty cheese.
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Cannoli shells are a phenomenal bridge between a cracker and pie crust. They’re a little bulkier than a lot of crackers, with a bit of butter and egg yolk woven inside to add richness and make it a tad bubbly. The shells are more sturdy than most pie crust, have the added flavor and texture of being deep-fried, and the addition of wine adds an unusual, but welcome, funkiness. Perfect for equally funky cheeses. (You could substitute for water for if you make your shells at home, but the wine is fun.)
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I don’t often see cannoli shells for sale in grocery store freezers sections, but some in-store bakery sections will sell you individual, unfilled shells. You can also hit up your local Italian bakery and buy them there. When you get home, break them into a few big pieces and nestle the shards amongst your cheeses. The slightly curved shape makes them excellent for scooping up dips. If you simply cannot find the shells pre-made, make your own.
Classic cannoli shells are made by cutting the pastry into circles and wrapping them around special, small metal tubes before carefully deep-frying them. You can follow any cannoli shell recipe, and stop before the metal tube part. It’s a tricky business because the…
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