Buffalo Rising Online

Apr 28th 2007, 9:21am By John Aramini

--The Godfather (1972)

This piece of advice from The Godfather is a good one, but one that most Italians would not need a reminder of. The humble cannoli is the go-to Italian dessert throughout Sicily and America.

A brief bit of history; "cannoli" is actually plural, "cannolo" being the singular form. That being said, I've never heard someone ask for a "cannolo" so you're probably not going to get laughed at if you order a dozen "cannolis." If the grammar works in The Godfather, it works for me. This word (however you wish to conjugate it) translates to "little tube." For those unfamiliar with cannoli, they are tube-like fried pastry shells filled with sweetened ricotta cheese.

Traditionally, that should be the entirety of the dessert: pastry and sweetened ricotta filling with perhaps a dusting of powdered sugar. However, there have been many Americanizations to the humble cannoli that are met with varying degrees of acceptance depending on how rigidly one adheres to tradition. One of the most popular is the sprinkling of miniature chocolate chips on the open ends. Additionally, candied fruits may end up in the filling or on the ends. Some bakeries make cannolis from chocolate pastry dough, but this is a variation I cannot, in good faith, endorse. Overall though, eat what you like. If you want chocolate chips, go for it. If candied cherries are your thing, by all means enjoy them.

Beyond the technical definitions and debates, how do you spot a good cannoli? Unfortunately, it's not possible to tell just by looking (though for me this was instead fortunate, as it provided me the opportunity to go bakery-hopping all over Buffalo). One of the biggest problems facing the cannoli is that the shell becomes soft or soggy from the filling. The best way to prevent this is by filling the shells at the last possible moment before consumption.

Dolci on Elmwood is the only place I came across that filled the shells to order, which resulted in a truly superior treat. Not only do they fill the shells to order, they will top them for you as well. You can get a cannoli with your choice of powdered sugar, sliced almonds, and/or mini chocolate chips.

A good cannoli is messy, and theirs was no exception. Upon biting into it, the shell fragments, the powdered sugar dusts my shirt, the cream explodes mouthward and it is blissful. To prevent the shells from becoming soft, places that pre-fill their cannoli tend to make the filling a bit more dry and stiff. By filling them when you order, Dolci is able to use a better quality filling (the creamiest that I've ever tasted) while maintaining the crispness and flakiness of the shell.

In my search for the best cannoli in Buffalo I didn't come across any bad cannoli. You can get a pretty good one from just about any Italian or gourmet bakery. But, Dolci was certainly a cut above. There, the custom-made cannoli is not only a good idea, but it is also expertly executed.

Dolci, 732 Elmwood, 14222, 882.5956