I adore Boston, Massachusetts. There’s just something about the city that draws me in. I love the fusion of the modern city with the rich historical past. In one day you can stroll through the Public Garden and see the sites along the Freedom Trail, window shop on Newbury Street, and then head to the South End for dinner and drinks at one of the new trendy restaurants.
My favorite part of Boston, though, is the North End. The Freedom Trail goes right through the North End of the city, with landmarks such as Paul Revere’s house and the Old North Church (“One if by land, two if by sea…”) along the way. The historical sites are not my reason for loving the North End, though. The North End also happens to be the Italian section of the city – full of restaurants, pastry shops, and markets.
Hanover Street is the most well known (and the most touristy) street in the North End, lined with small restaurants and shops. While I do enjoy eating at Giacomo’s and stopping in at Mike’s or Modern for dessert, venturing off of Hanover Street is where the fun begins. Only a few blocks away, you will find gems like Maria’s Pastry (my personal favorite for cannoli), Salumeria Italiana (a grocery where you will find fantastic Balsamic vinegar), and Polcari’s Coffee (with fresh roasted coffee and a wide assortment of whole spices).
Since I do not have the opportunity to visit Boston as often as I’d like, I have learned to prepare some of my favorite Italian dishes to remind me of the wonderful food in the North End. The first time I visited the city, I picked up a copy of The North End Italian Cookbook, my go-to source for Italian recipes. I have also taken a market tour of the North End and visited the city numerous times (including last weekend!).
My Italian Birthday Dinner Party for the Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24
So, as soon as it occurred to me that this month’s Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 would be taking place on my birthday (October 24th), I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share my love of Boston’s Italian North End with some of my friends and family! Fortunately, Foodbuzz and Visa agreed and accepted my proposal!
I started preparing for my dinner party as soon as I got home from Boston last weekend, pouring over my cookbook and travel photos to choose the menu! I spent the whole day on Friday cooking and cleaning for the party. Most of Friday afternoon was spent preparing the homemade cannoli shells (keep reading for the recipe!).
I was up bright and early on Saturday morning to get started on the fresh pasta (using a shiny new Imperia pasta machine given to me by my hubby for my birthday). Around lunchtime, my mom joined me in the kitchen, playing sous chef and helping me pull the whole thing off. She also provided the mold for the fresh ravioli!
The Menu
All of the food served at my dinner party was prepared from scratch in my kitchen (with the exception of the birthday cake, which my hubby purchased for me. I drew the line at baking my own cake!)…
- Baked Stuffed Mushrooms with Ricotta – a tasty appetizer from The North End Italian Cookbook, served as my guests arrived and I put the finishing touches on the rest of the dinner!
- Fresh Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette – made with the Rubio Aged Balsamico from Salumeria Italiana.
- My Mom’s Fresh Italian Bread – I was amazed as I watched her prepare it with no recipe (and no, she’s not Italian!).
- Roasted Broccoli – one of my favorites, no recipe needed.
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Mascarpone and Sage – a dish inspired by my favorite dishes at Giacomo’s Ristorante.
- Chicken Cutlets Parmigiana – one of my favorite recipes from The North End Italian Cookbook!
- Fettucine with Bolognese Sauce – new recipes that I tried from The North End Italian Cookbook.. Both were a hit!
- Chocolate Chip Cannoli – my absolute favorite Italian dessert. I’ve been looking forward to making cannoli ever since I first visited Boston!
- Chocolate Walnut Biscotti – another favorite sweet treat from The North End Italian Cookbook, perfect served with the House Blend from Polcari’s Coffee.
While many of my guests felt bad that I prepared my own birthday dinner, I can think of nowhere I’d rather be than in my kitchen. I love to cook and bake, and sharing some of my favorite dishes with my friends and family was a perfect way to celebrate. We all had a wonderful evening, and I assure you, no one left hungry!
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cannoli
As I mentioned above, one of my favorite places to visit in the North End is Maria’s Pastry because I love the cannoli. I have wanted to make homemade cannoli for a very (very) long time since it is hard to find where I live. Here is my recipe for cannoli shells with ricotta filling and chocolate chips, adapted from The North End Italian Cookbook. This recipe will make about 25 small cannoli (I made a double batch for the party). Buon Appetito!
Cannoli Shells
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur’s)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 1/4 cup port wine
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- Canola oil
Making the dough for the cannoli shells is much like preparing a pie crust. Whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Make a well in the center, and add the beaten egg and butter. Use your finger tips to blend the flour mixture with the egg and butter, until all flour is moistened and the mixture is crumbly. Gradually add the port wine, a little bit at a time, just until a dough forms and sticks together. Form the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 – 30 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, divide it into quarters. Roll one quarter of the dough on a floured surface until it is paper thin. Use a round cookie cutter (or biscuit cutter) to cut circles of dough. My cookie cutter was about 3 inches in diameter, but the size can be varied depending on the size of the cannoli forms you will be using. Repeat the process with the remaining quarters of the dough, until all of the dough has been cut into circles.
Heat the canola oil in a deep, heavy pot until it reaches 350°. There are lots of techniques for determining when the oil is hot enough to fry, but I prefer to use an oil/candy thermometer just to be sure! Meanwhile, wrap the cannoli forms with the dough circles, sealing the edges with egg yolk and pressing with your fingertips. It is important to seal the edges well, or the cannoli will open up when frying (this happened to a few of mine the first time around!).
Once the oil is hot, fry a few shells at a time, being careful not to crowd them in the pot. Use tongs to turn the cannoli so that they cook evenly. They will need to cook in the oil for about 2 minutes, until they are golden but not burnt. Use the tongs to transfer the shells to paper towels to cool. After cooling for a minute, hold the shell lightly with a clean kitchen towel and use your other hand to gently slide the cannoli form out of the shell. Be careful, the form will still be hot! Allow the shell to cool completely, and then store in an airtight container. The shells can be made up to one week ahead of time.
Ricotta Filling
- 2 pounds ricotta cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Mini chocolate chips
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Cover and chill overnight. Pour off any excess moisture that may collect in the bowl before filling the cannoli.
Do not fill the cannoli ahead of time or the shells will get soggy. When you are ready to serve the cannoli, prepare a pastry bag with the ricotta filling. Carefully pipe the filling into the ricotta shells and dip each end of the shell in the mini chocolate chips. Serve immediately.
I have never been to Boston, but I really want to go. Happy Birthday and what a party! Oh my goodness all of that food looks amazing! I hope someone did the dishes for you, that is a lot of work for your own b-day! It looks so fun though! I am sure the party was amazing!
Ha! I just asked you about Boston in another comment! I am so glad you had a great time and it is so funny that we were there on the same weekend! I’ve never been and I LOVED it there! I went to Maria’s pastry as well – can you say biggest cannolis EVER?! Unfortunately, I did not get to eat at any of the ITalian restaurants in the North End! Gorgeous job on your own Cannolis and again, Happy Birthday!
Tanti Auguri Jen! Brava! What an amazing job you did! Would have loved to have been there to celebrate with you (& of course eat all that dee-lish food!)
Wow!!! I found your blog from Twitter. So beautiful! Your pictures are drool-worthy.
I also adore Boston and we just spent time in the North End staying with friends. We went to all the places you mentioned AND my friend also gave me The North End Cookbook.
Happy Birthday. What a great way to spend it. It all looks amazing.
The tiny gourds on the napkins look so cute.
I’d love to go to Boston one day. Happy birthday. Definitely a party worth having. And it looks like you celebrated it just right. I love the place settings, too. Very elegant.
Oh wow what a wonderful Birthday!!!!!!
This is a really great looking cannoli! Yum!
I love Boston, especially for treats like this!
Happy Birthday to you! Whas a great dinner and celebration. Everything looks fabulious! I was going to do a BD party too but my BD was clear back on the 8th. Decided to drop the BD from title. LOL. So you were wating Cannolli while I was eating molten chocolate cake. :)
Great post. Happy Birthday. You created a wonderful feast for your family and friends. I love the North End too, and will have to get that cookbook!
Wow! Wow! Wow! You worked hard, but I KNOW you had so much fun. I wish I could have been there. Everything looks perfect, including the photos.
What a great 24, 24, 24 – and a happy birthday to you! Love that I can picture most of those North End places after my whirlwind trip to Boston this summer that included the North End Market tour!
A beautiful dinner. The pictures are terrific. I love canoli! I am very impressed!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
OMG. WANT.
Does it speak well or poorly of me that I want those cannolis for breakfast?
Happy Birthday Jen!
You’re my new best friend :) We spend 4 weeks every summer in the South Shore of MA, and absolutely adore Giacomos, Mikes, Modern & all of the other places you mentioned & visit as much as we can!
I love that you prepared your own bday dinner. Sounds like something I would do. You did a fabulous job on this entire post. I made homemade cannoli a few months back on my blog. Loved the project & the outcome. Yours look amazing!
Wow! You were one busy lady! Everything looks so lovely and delicious.
Hope your birthday was fantastic Jen!
Wowie-wow-wow! Looks fantastic! I bet you had a blast!
Wow, looks amazing! I am with you – I can’t think of a better way to have a birthday dinner than to prepare it in your own kitchen! Of course, I might be inclined to make my own cake too… ;)
I adore fresh pasta and I love making it too. Never tried Cannoli but I’ve almost bought the molds a few times, but they’re still on my wish list!
What a fabulous dinner!
Happy Birthday! What a wonderful way to celebrate. Your food photos are absolutely gorgeous. It looks like you had a wonderful dinner.
Hi! Happy Birthday! The food looks like they were right out of a high class Italian restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that you cook them. Everything looks delish! =)
Jen everything looks awesome! I have been in love with Boston since I was sixteen years old and living in Ohio. I keep begging my boyfriend to take me but so far we have not been able to make the trip.
Now onto the food….amazing! I need a cannoli right now:)
Everything looks so wonderful, especially the cannoli! When I want to treat myself, I usually pick up some cannoli on the way home.
What a wonderful post! My twin brother lives in Boston – I love the North End. I love it that you cooked your own fabulous birthday dinner! I’ve done that, too.
What a terrific dinner! Amazing photos! The homemade cannoli look absolutely scrumptious! Excellent!
What an amazing dinner!! I love your post. I used to live just outside of Boston but sadly never ate in the North End. Great job preparing all of the food. I hope you enjoyed your birthday :)
Happy Belated Birthday! And what a wonderful birthday it was! What a delicious menu! You did an excellent job of tying it in to the North End. The cannoli look scrumptious and so perfect!
What a wonderful way to get to enjoy your birthday! Everything looks lovely and so enticing! I would love to eat a meal like this at home!
Jen, everything looks so delicious. Sounds like you had the best birthday ever, and congrats on getting picked for Foodbuzz’s 24,24,24 too. I’m envious of those cannoli shells. I tried them once many years and they were a disaster. I may just have to give them a try again.
Hey Jen,
Happy Birthday! I think you did a wonderful job in your kitchen. The Birthday dinner must of been wonderful. The pictures were great and everything looked very good. I love cooking in my kitchen too and it is always fun when you have guest in to help eat what you have prepared. I never been to Boston but sure would like to get there some day soon.
My birthday is January 4th. Please come cook for me — and take photos! Great meal, great shots.
Belated Happy Birthday. Jen, you’re amazing, you did all of recipe on the menu with to die for photos and you’re working and blogging I salute you. The dishes all look fantastic.
Hi, Your blog made my eyes water. I’m from the Boston area (love the North end). Lived and worked in the City (Lewis Wharf) for 10 years. From Cape Cod, another GREAT place. Happy birthday – going home for Thanksgiving & counting the days!!!
Wow, what an amazing meal!!!!
I am totally drooling!! What a great 24 post!! Great job!
As a Bostonian – and food lover – I really enjoyed this post! All of the dishes look phenomenal… the butternut squash ravioli at Giacomo’s is one of my favorites. Another is the pumpkin tortellini. Yum!
Wow – what a wonderful birthday that was!! The pictures are phenomenal and I bet you ate like there was no tomorrow!
Can I be invited to your birthday dinner next year??? Please???
I loved this post. It warmed me from head to toe. The best birthday gift is to be in the kitchen making food for the ones you love so I can’t agree with you more. And those cannoli are lookin’ good!
I’ve only been to Boston once (I was about 17) so I’m due back for a trip!
Yum! Great looking cannoli…although I fiercely support Modern over Mike’s : )
P.S. I had a 24-24-24 event this month too…
Jen, I just have to say I loved this post too! The table and every single dish look amazing. Are you free in March? ;) Perhaps another little 24,24,24 birthday, this time in So Cal wouldn’t be a bad idea?
Hi Jenn, I’m from Massachusetts (about an hour south of Boston) and I wanted to share a recommendation for my favorite place to get really great Cannoli if you ever make it out to Providence, RI: it’s a cafe called “Palmieri’s” right next to Antonelli’s poultry in the Plaza on federal hill.
What an amazing feast this must have been! A feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds!!
I too have recently fallen in love with The North End of Boston. This was definitely my favorite port of call on our cruise to Canada and New England.
I can hardly wait to try some of the recipes from The North End cookbook and from your very own recommendations from said book. I got some pretty fabulous photos that I’ll be sharing soon on my facebook page. The one I’m most proud of is of Maria herself of Maria’s Pastry Shop. She personally rang up my order of lady fingers and amaretti cookies :)
Sorry I missed this post last year when you wrote it. Better late than never. How exciting that you’ll be a new mommy for your next birthday coming up! Wonder when your baby’s birthday is going to be?