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You Asked For It

Cannolis with character and cakes with a kick

By ELLEN FOLKMAN
Published June 21, 2006

Jennie Miller wanted a recipe for cannoli filling; Cynthia Shea shares a recipe from Mario Batali's Holiday Food cookbook and Marie Prunetti one from Ateco, which makes cannoli forms. Marie also includes a pistachio variation.

Many readers were happy to pass along their recipes for rum cake to Jane Saunders. All of the recipes are quite similar to one published by Bacardi many years ago. Jan Smith spices up her version up with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. She also leaves the cake in the pan to glaze it. Sue Miranda explains that her recipe is better if it is made a day before serving. Once the cake cools, she covers it with plastic wrap.

For: Jennie Miller of Crystal Beach

From: Cynthia Shea of Spring Hill

Recipe: Cannoli Filling

CANNOLI FILLING

16 ounces fresh cow's milk ricotta cheese, drained 1 hour in a cheesecloth-lined conical sieve

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 tablespoons candied orange zest

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients until well mixed. Spoon into a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip and place in refrigerator until you are ready to fill cannoli shells.

Makes enough filling for about 16 cannoli shells.

*   *   *

For: Jennie Miller of Crystal Beach

From: Marie Prunetti of Clearwater

Recipe: Ricotta Filling

RICOTTA FILLING

4 cups ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups unsifted powdered sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chopped citron

1/2 cup orange peel

1/4 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Whirl ricotta cheese in blender or press through wire strainer. Beat in unsifted powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients. Chill several hours or overnight before filling cannoli shells.

Pistacho filling: To above recipe, add a few drops of green food coloring to tint pale green. Use chopped, blanched pistachios for garnish.

*   *   *

For: Jane Saunders of St. Petersburg

From: Shannon Cobb-Tappan of Dunedin; Carol Perry of Seminole, Raymond Huggard of Clearwater; Sue Miranda of Clearwater; Cindy Stanton of St. Petersburg; Jan Smith of New Port Richey; Teresa Di Lorenzo of St. Petersburg; and Marie Prunetti of Clearwater

Recipe: Bacardi Rum Cake

BACARDI RUM CAKE

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 package yellow cake mix, without pudding

1 4-serving package vanilla instant pudding mix

4 eggs

½ cup cold water

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup Bacardi dark rum 80 proof

Glaze:

¼ pound butter (1 stick)

¼ cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter over nuts. Bake 1 hour. Cool. Invert onto serving plate. Prick top with skewer or toothpick. Spoon and brush glaze evenly over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until glaze is used up.

To make glaze, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in rum.

Note: If using a cake mix with pudding already in it, adjust the following: omit instant pudding, use 3 eggs instead of 4, and 1/3 cup oil instead of ½. The rest of the recipe is the same.

Recipe requests

Deborah Lemmon would like a recipe for Cincinnati-style chili, which typically has no beans. She would also like recipes for scones, any flavor.

Mary Lina Ogen of Seminole is interested in an authentic recipe for key lime pie that uses condensed milk rather than sweetened condensed milk.

You Asked for It is a reader mail column. Send recipe requests to You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to youaskedforit@knology.net Please put "Recipe request'' in the subject line. Recipes will be received by mail only. Include your full name, city and phone number. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

[Last modified June 20, 2006, 11:12:32]