> wrote in message
...
> We want to make cannoli next week for a party. I live in a small
> town. Is mascarpone a hard-to-find ingredient? I went to our largest
> Kroger, and couldn't find it. I looked with the cream cheese, with
> the ricotta, and with the deli cheese.
>
> I plan to check Super WalMart and another grocery store.

It is hard to find as it is not too commonly used and is quite
perishable, so smaller-demand stores don't stock it. To make
a reasonable substitute get some whole-milk ricotta cheese,
put it into a blender or whip it until it is perfectly smooth, and
add a bit of sugar, just enough to get rid of the natural
sourness that ricotta has. It will make an excellent cannoli
filling, in fact some areas of Italy use only ricotta rather
than mascarpone.

pavane