When we last left those Brandy Snaps, they crunched and crumbled all over my computer keyboard and the cat on my lap. Nothing worse than sticky cat fur. What to do? I went searching for the perfect filling, and as if by magic, found inspiration courtesy of italian-dessert-recipes.com . I'll give my version: Creamy Cannoli Filling 3/4 cup ricotta cheese (drained in fine mesh strainer a few hours or overnight, if possible) 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted through a strainer zest of 1 lemon, grated finely 1 T. 151 Rum (or Brandy, or Gran Marnier) pinch of salt Whisk this together until smooth and plop it into a pastry bag. I used a 12" bag and a #32 tip, which has pointy edges around the opening so the filling oozes to the sides in little ripples. Squeeze into each end of the Brandy Snaps, placing the tip in the center of the cookie tube and backing out the tip to the end as the center fills. At the end of each squeeze, hold the tip in place s...
I began this blog when my mother was ill and needed enough of my attention that I could not concentrate on longer-form works I wanted to write. I set those aside to distract myself with cookie-making and this blog. Please find my new blog (2020) entitled "Time NOT Lost" at karenbrattesani.blogspot.com, where I explore the behavior I see around me -- both my own and that of others -- and what it says about our changing culture during the coronavirus pandemic. And, I hope, beyond.