There aren't many reasons better to order cannoli than the sweet, crisp-shelled mouthfuls you'll get once they arrive at your doorstep, but the fact that this particular order might help a Victorian business that's been through the horror of not one but two lockdowns is another bonus. Boutique desserterie La Cannoleria, a place people once – in the Beforetime – flew across state borders to visit, is now delivering to Sydney (and all around the country) thanks to a new collaboration with gourmet grocer, Co-Lab Pantry.
Cannoli is traditionally from the southern island of Sicily in Italy, and is made by rolling out a sweet pastry dough, shaping it into a hollow cylindrical shell and frying it. The shell is then stuffed with a ricotta or custard filling. Not only can you order boxes of cannoli from La Cannoleria ($9 each) they're also letting you attempt to make cannoli yourself – maybe only so you realise how hard it is and appreciate their mastery tenfold. DIY Cannoli kits are available in six large or twelve small shells, with a filling of ricotta, crushed pistachio and icing sugar ($24 per kit).
If you don't quite trust yourself on your own in the kitchen, sign up to a cannoli making class for $65 – you'll get a kit, a cute tote bag, and access to a Zoom class in which you'll be guided through the ins and outs of cannoli mastery. It's on Saturday, October 17 between 11am-1pm.