Few desserts are as entwined with Italian American culture as the cannoli. This filling is a classic recipe.

This recipe comes from a baker in Verona, Italy. He made some of the best cannolis I've ever eaten. It was a tradition on our day trips to Verona to begin at the bakery and enjoy a cannoli and a cappuccino.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 pounds ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds, toasted
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• cannoli shells

Directions

1. In a saucepan, slowly whisk 1 cup of the milk into the cornstarch. Whisk until smooth. Let sit about 20 minutes.
2. Add the remaining milk and sugar to the milk-starch and stir over a low heat. Continue stirring until it is thick and smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in the almond and vanilla extracts. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the filling to avoid "skin" and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Add the ricotta cheese, cinnamon, chocolate chips, almonds, and orange zest to the the cornstarch and pipe the filling into cannoli shells.

Note: Presentation is key to great cannolis. You can simply sprinkle with powdered sugar, or dip the ends of each filled cannoli into melted chocolate then chopped nuts. Don't be afraid to be creative. Pull out the colored sugars, sprinkles, and candy confetti for a wild experience!