I’d been anticipating Mole Cannoli for weeks.  I cut short a family trip to get back in time for it, but Delta and the weather had other plans.  But I persevered, arrived a couple of hours late, and partook of the fullness of mole, cannoli and everything in between.  Sorry, no pictures, I was late, harried and as soon as possible after arrival, tipsy.

But wait, you protest, what IS Mole Cannoli?  Oh, what isn’t it, I counter?  Mole Cannoli is the wonderous and twisted brainchild of chefs J and D, blogged here a few months ago at Book Swap.  I’m not sure how the idea started, but it was decided that the duo would have a dinner party including (but not limited to) mole and cannoli.

For those who might not have been paying attention, here is one explaination of mole from Ramekins:

The word “Mole” comes from the Aztec word “Molli,” meaning “concoction,” “stew” or “sauce.” To the unenlightened, Mole is a Mexican chocolate sauce. In Mexico, Mole is a hundred dishes in a hundred homes. It varies from town to town and family to family. The most famous Mole, “Mole Poblano de Guajolote” (made with Wild Turkey–the bird, not the booze) is a special complex dish carefully woven together using dried chiles, nuts, seeds, vegetables, spices and chocolate (preferably ground, toasted cacao beans, but Mexican chocolate, such as Ibarra brand, is acceptable).

and in the unfortunate event that you’ve somehow missed the numerous cannoli lessons life gives out,

Cannoli are Sicilian pastry desserts. The singular is cannolo, meaning “little tube”, with the etymology stemming from the Latin “canna”, or reed. Cannoli originated in Sicily and are an essential part of Sicilian cuisine. They are also popular in Italian American cuisine.  Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta cheese (or alternatively, but less traditionally, sweetened Mascarpone) blended with some combination of vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, Marsala wine, rosewater or other flavorings. Some chefs add chopped succade or chocolate chips. [wikipedia]

Furthermore, if you don’t know what I’m talking about when I say, “Leave the gun. Take the cannolis.” I urge you to return your ticket to this blog for a full refund.

OK, if you’re still with me, and I hope you are, here’s the rundown of the Mole Cannoli table:

• A dazzling array of beverages including delicious white sangria and frozen beer (did I hear that right?)
• Homemade guacamole, “beer cheese” and salsa with chips
• Chicken enchiladas with Red Mole and jack cheese
• Smoked chicken and corn tamales with Green Mole
• Taco Bar:  Grilled mahi mahi, grilled flank steak, guacamole and salsa (what was left after the appetizers above were savaged by early guests)
• Salad with jicama and orange (jicama as as declicious as it is fun to say)
• Black bean corn salad
• Red cabbage salad
• Stunning chocoalte cake with too much icing (but not to worry, there were extra cannoli shells!)
• Medican wedding cookies
• Macaroons
• A ginormous flan, definitely not of the pocket variety.
• Cannoli

I thought it was all just a dream but then I found the leftover tamales in the fridge the next day.