Wow, who would have thought The Daring Kitchen’s last baker’s challenge was going to become such a controversy! I have gotten lots of private and public feedback but the best has been an ongoing email conversation with Claudia, a member of my dinner group. She happens to have Italian blood in her veins.
The controversy is not so much about my cannoli or the recipe, but rather where is the best canolli in town, store bought that is. Here is what she wrote (printed with her permission):
“Saturday supper was spent around my mother-in-laws table with some very ‘pastry opinionated people’.
The favourite place for ‘cannoli’ sparked quite the stir.
Who knew these debates could be just as heated as politics…but wayyyy more amusing.
Some comments got louder than most…who thought the cannoli had to much in ratio of ricotta to cream…were they way too sweet or not enough…should there really be chocolate added…or just left natural…crust just not right…should shell be fried or baked…wow…what a science… the right balance of ingredients seems to make or break that poor little cannoli.
Do you see what you started;)))
My husband and I were keeling over of laughter when we realized how deep rooted peoples’ opinions of food selections really are.
All this to say…better to talk about food vs. where is the real estate market at…and forecasting the nest financial scam!!!
Anyhow, at the end we seemed to have finally come up with a short list that is manageable.
Unfortunately, a lot of some of the best pastry shops are found wayyyy in the east end of RDP where my brother-in-law specializes (tons of Italians there)…however I find that it may be too far to mention them here.
Therefore…drumb roll please…here are the addresses in some order of preference.
Boulangerie Patisserie Cristina
2945 boulevard de la Concorde Est, Laval (450) 664-3698
…I can definitely vouch for their lobster tails
…mmmm….did you ever have these?…they are devine!
Pasticceria Di Bella
5235 Rue Belanger, Montreal, (514) 728-4335
Boulangerie & Pâtisserie Napoleon
4579 rue Jarry E Saint-Léonard, (514) 728-9635
…also very good lobster tails…
Boulangerie Patisserie Concorde
608 boulevard de la Concorde O., Laval (450) 668-7853
Boulangerie NDG
5801 Chemin Upper-Lachine Montreal, (514) 481-4215
Pasticceria Alati-Caserta
277 Rue Dante, Montreal, (514) 271-3013
although slightly over rated…is still a viable choice”
Thank you Claudia for that list. Have you got another place to suggest?
FYI….they make their own cannolis shells!!!!!!!!!! And their lobster tails are just as amazing!
Hello! I have to agree with Steve…once you try the cannolis from Tillemont, you surely wont go anywhere else, I can guarantee you that! They’ve never lost a competition!!! Enjoy! Visit their website at http://www.tillemont.com
try Pâtisserie Tillemont’s cannolis, my friends and I have done a bunch of competitions and every time somebody brings a cannoli from another pastry shop, Tillemonts have always won.
Boy…someone here has taken the cannoli issue at heart!
The opinion on the cannoli debate was not only the opinion of one person…but of several.
Imagine having Ms. Aurora at that after-supper discussion.
If by chance the debate wasn’t spunky enough…she would have really lit the fire on that one.
Ok, jokes aside…yes Alati has very good cannoli…however, many did feel that they were not the only cannoli in town!
Of course…let’s not forget to take into consideration that food choices are always in the taste buds of the beholder.
With this said, I want to thank Ms. Aurora for her opinion and for her 2 other recommendations…which I will record for future visits.
We can never have enough of good pastry shops ;0))
FYI…I was also made to understand…to my dismay…that most pastry shops now purchase their cannoli shells from 3rd parties.
Apparently this is due to the heavy time consumption issue of making these shells…but the major reason…is a health issue about the over-abused frying oil.
This tidbit was explained to me by someone that does indeed sell a lot of shells to many of these very popular pastry shops!
I did indeed find this intriguing…however admittedly disappointed in realizing that even in the pastry business…not everything is proprietary!
However…I’m willing to close my eyes and ears on this one…as long as the finished product is of yummy quality ;0))
Just remember…it’s never too early or too late to have a scrumptiously filled Italian cannoli!
Ciao for now…and have yourselves a great foodie day!
Claudia
You see…I told you cannoli was a big debate subject. You have all proven me twice over with your comments lol.
It just goes to show how personal people can be about their favorite foods…but is all subjective to personal taste too.
I am of course craving a cannolo right now!
My mouth is watering just the thought of cannolis. Now I have several adresses to try but it won’t be for today, I am stuck at home thanks to the snowstorm…
My Sicilian mother used to tell me that you haven’t tasted the best cannoli until you go to Palermo and she was right!
But here in Montreal, I have tried cannoli from many different pastry shops and I still prefer Alati.
Just a funny aside, “death by cannoli” can occur the fun way…through indulging a little too much. Seriously, I don’t want to KNOW how many calories are in one. EVER.
Or in the Godfather way, as one character in Godfather 3 (the weakest of the Godfather movies in my opinion) is deliberately poisoned by some too tasty cannoli and dies a dramatic death fittingly at the Opera one night.
Don’t mess with the cannoli! hehe
Oh yes, just for the record, I have Italian blood in my veins too and have grown up on cannoli.
Aurora 😉
Sorry, no disrespect meant to that member and her relatives –
but Alati Caserta cannoli are NOT over-rated.
I still say they are the best, and I have tried cannoli from other Italian bakeries. And yes, I have tried some from those St. Leonard bakeries. For me, they are not worth mentioning.
By the way, Alati Caserta have a website:
http://www.alaticaserta.com/
Check out their “Big Cannoli” Platter….droool.
Here are a couple of other pastry shops to throw into the tour – but I still say Alati is the best:
Boulangerie Roma Ltée
6776 St Laurent
Montreal, QC H2S 3C7
(514) 273-9357
Motta
303 Mozart E. (@ Henri-Julien)
Phone: (514) 270-5952
Motta has awesome pizzas by the way.
Alati, Roma and Motta are all close to Jean Talon market, in Little Italy.