I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It was in all the papers. Gastronomic detectives worldwide were set out on the task to track down the best cannoli their cities, towns, villages, and hamlets had to offer. I assumed I had my work cut out for me – a city of 3 million or more people, almost half of whom claim Italian descent – and that doesn’t count the 12 million in the suburbs – there was bound to be a decent cannolo, or two.
Cosa c’è di meglio di un cannolo di ricotta per ritemprarsi? Affondi i denti nel croccante della sfoglia, e la crema fugge via dall’involucro che la teneva prigioniera, e ti incolla di morbida dolcezza. Un cannolo di ricotta ti rimette in sesto. Ti riconcilia col mondo e con la vita.
[What’s better than a ricotta cannoli to recharge your batteries? You sink your teeth into the crunchy pastry, and the cream escapes from the wrapping that held it prisoner, and glues you with soft sweetness. A ricotta cannoli puts you back together. It reconciles you with the world and with life.]
Rosalba Perrotta from her book Vita candita [Candied Life]
Now, for those not in the know, a cannolo (or plural, cannoli) is, as a base, a Sicilian pastry consisting of a tube-shaped fried pastry shell filled with sweetened ricotta. Additions of things like nuts, chocolate, dried or candied fruits, are common. And though not traditional in Sicily, flavored pastry cream seems to have become a common filling in place of ricotta, and even the ice cream shops have gotten in on the act, creating, I suppose, the wrap version of an ice cream sandwich. I had to set a level playing field, and decided to eschew these deviations from the traditional for now, and only compare and contrast the ricotta versions.
As I’ve, over time, tried dozens of cannoli in many a restaurant or bakery in Buenos Aires, I’ve selected what, for me, are the top five for your teething pleasure.
Café Vespress, Donado 1720, Villa Ortúzar
We have a true contender for the top cannoli spot. A thin, crisp, perfectly golden shell, lightly sweet ricotta flecked with fresh orange and lime zest, and ends dipped, one into pistachios, the other with caramelized orange peel. A light dusting of powdered sugar completes this stellar cannolo.
Cucina Paradiso, Pacheco de Melo 1865, Recoleta
Thin, light, perfectly golden and crisp shell. Filled in the moment with lightly sweetened ricotta. One end dipped into chopped, toasted pistachios, the other in grated dark chocolate topped with a dab of caramelized orange. Excellent!
Scrocchia, Uriarte 1616, Palermo
The cannoli search moves on. Here, a near perfect shell, so thin that it cracks like an eggshell and melts on the tongue. The filling is a tangy ricotta that’s been pureed to a silky texture… perhaps with a touch of yogurt? Or have they used sheep’s milk ricotta, the traditional Sicilian filling? Just barely sweetened, studded with bits of dark chocolate, the ends dipped in crushed pistachios. Just a faint dusting of powdered sugar. Superb!
Al Bacio Caffè, Lavalleja 1373, Palermo
One of my friends and regular readers recommended this spot, and she’s usually pretty spot-on, especially with Italianate things. This is a small café with a few tables on the sidewalk and a brisk take-away business. The cannolo is one of the better ones I’ve had, with a whisper thin shell, perfectly browned. The ricotta is lightly sweetened. For me it was missing a tang of acidity – while historically that comes from using sheep’s milk ricotta, something we don’t have here, it’s often made up for with some citrus added – I’d have liked that. One end is dipped in pistachios, the other in bitter chocolate.
Scrocchiarella, José A. Cabrera 4896, Palermo
[Excuse the photo - best I could do on the original - Scrocchiarella only has sidewalk seating under a series of vividly red umbrellas.]
Sibling restaurant of Scrocchia, which I included in the first round. You might expect, with the same owner and chef, that the cannoli would be more or less identical, but they’re not. They’re certainly quite similar – the shells delicate and crisp – but these are lighter in color and less… bubbled from the frying. The filling is the same – a silky, pureed ricotta with a tang and just a bit of sweetness – although not side by side, my memory says these are sweeter. And these come in an only chocolate chip version – both ends well studded, whereas those at Scrocchia have one end in chocolate and one in pistachio. Excellent!