Sicilian desserts are world famous but the most decadent has to be deep fried cannoli tubes which are filled with ricotta or fresh custard cream.
They are a special treat and are often given as gifts for Christmas and Easter.
The empty golden shells are tiny works of art ready to be filled with sweetness.
My favourite Italian dolce, and grateful I can get pretty decent ricotta and pistachio ones from our local Italian shop. I remember the most delicious were from a pretty well known bakery in Erice, and I discovered little chocolate tipped ones from a bar in Positano. Yummy.
Cannoli are so versatile, you can really personalise them according to your own personal taste. My mother had a fantastic recipe which used marsala instead of white wine in the tubes and she then filled them with ricotta, chocolate chips and dried fruits … so original!