Gluten-Free Cannoli Pie

PIE-A-DAY #40

Suzanne is a gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, low-oxalate eater, with allergies to lots of food. Her blog is You Can’t Eat What? Here she describes a gluten-free cannoli pie:

During the summertime, I often want a nice cool pie that refreshes me and transports me to another place. Inspired by a lovely trip I took to Italy and all the desserts I saw in the windows of cafes and bakeries, I returned home determined to recreate the saliva-inducing scenery. You see, I am a Gluten-Free and allergic traveler and was not able to partake in most of the traditional desserts while in Italy. After perusing rows and rows of the tubular sensation known as the Cannoli, I knew I had to make it a part of my life- one way or another.

Enter a faker Cannoli in pie-form. This pie is divinely easy to churn out in either a Gluten-Free or regular version. The light and creamy consistency really lets you indulge in a little bit of pastry love, without the pastry shell. As with all my recipes, you can easily adapt this pie to be free of whatever you may be sensitive to (i.e. corn, lactose, eggs, soy, and I’m sure there’s a dairy-free version if you get creative with ricotta substitutes.) Now this pie doesn’t take the place of the actual treat, but I think it does capture its spirit enough to make me feel I can still be apart of traditional Italian pastry consumption. That is, until Mike’s Pastries in Boston makes a gluten-free version. Fingers crossed until that day…

Gluten-Free or regular cookie dough, homemade or store bought (simple sugar cookie or snickerdoodle works best)

15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese or a blend of ½ ricotta, ½ marscapone for creamier results

1 envelope of unflavored gelatin*

1 ¼ cup of corn-free powdered sugar, divided

1 cup of boiling water

½ tsp GF vanilla

¼ cup of allergy-free (or regular) chocolate chips

cinnamon

Crust:

Prepare cookie dough according to recipe or directions and spread in a 9 inch, deep-dish pie plate. Bake as directed. Dust with cinnamon and set aside to cool.

Filling:

In a small bowl, combine ½ cup powdered sugar and one envelope of gelatin, mixing well.

Add 1 cup of boiling water and mix until the sugar and gelatin dissolve; set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta cheese/cheese blend, the remaining powdered sugar, and the vanilla.

Slowly pour the gelatin mixture over the cheese mixture and blend well, by hand or in a blender if you’re really lazy.

Pour the filling into the cookie crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the pie once its set, making it just like a chocolate chip cannoli.

*Why the gelatin, you may ask. Well, I’ve found that the gelatin really helps this pie stand up instead of having the filling ooze out if left too long at room temperature. Remember, this filling isn’t covered on all sides by a shell. If you really don’t want to use gelatin then you don’t have to, but be warned that it has a very practical structural purpose.