So, different liquids boil at different temperatures. Alcohol boils at one of the lowest, water is kind of in the upper middle, oil is one of the highest. When you fry something you start by heating up the oil until it is hotter than the boiling point of water and alcohol. Next you put the dough in the hot oil. The liquid in the dough, either the alcohol or the water heats up to its boiling point very very quickly (the boiling point is the point at which a liquid becomes a gas) so quickly in fact that the oil doesn't have time to diffuse into the dough. For more about diffusion see Outstanding Osmosis. Instead the steam and evaporated alcohol quickly escapes from the dough. The flour and other dry ingredients dry out. If you pull them out before the oil can seep in and then put them on paper towels to absorb the extra oil they stay dry and crispy. Mystery solved.
If you haven't figured out by now I have a small obsession with Italian desserts. And when it comes to frying I love making cannoli. It's a labor of love, but these are so totally worth the effort that goes into them. The flavors mix and meld to make something so amazing, so much more than all of the individual parts. A couple of hints, you really should use cannoli forms, they make a huge difference, you can substitute white vinegar with white wine vinegar with no really change, and finally these are the best if you make the dough and the filling a day ahead then fry the day of.
Holy Cannoli
Cannoli Shells
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup plus a little Marsala wine
1 egg white
Oil for frying
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in oil, vinegar, and enough wine to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and well blended. Shape into a ball. Chill for at least 2 hours. Roll dough out until super thin (~1/16" to 1/8"). Cut out 3 1/2" circles. Roll into a paper thin oval. Roll dough around cannoli form. Dab a little egg white to seal. Heat oil (at least 3") to 375 degrees (or until a little dough becomes dark brown after 3 min). Fry the shells until golden (1-2 min). Remove from the form immediately and cool on paper towels. Fill immediately before serving. (I dipped the ends of the shell in chocolate before filling)
Cannoli Filling
Ingredients
2 lbs marscapone cheese
1 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons finely chopped chocolate
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
Blend the cheese until creamy. Beat in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and blend until smooth. Stir in chocolate and zest. Chill until firm. Use a pastry bag to fill the shells.
