Wednesday, March 31, 2010

March Roundup

Not too many Tiramisu posts this month. Maybe a little scary? Congratulations to those that participated and thanks to Veronica for the pick! I loved it.




Monday, March 29, 2010

Tori's Tiramisu: Add Me to the Round-Up!

Posted by - Tori

Somehow March slipped by me before I could get my act together and make my tiramisu. I'm glad I finally did, though, because this was a success through and through! I found it pretty easy to make (though somewhat hard to wait 24 hours for), and everyone here really liked it. Todd — a documented choc-aholic — told me to put this into heavy rotation. Given that he usually wants everything all-chocolate-all-the-time, that was very high praise for something that had only a sprinkle of cocoa on the top. The kids and I loved it, too.

I used the recipe Veronica posted at the start of the month, and took everyone's advice to double the coffee. In the end, I used even more than twice the coffee, but I omitted the rum since I didn't have any on hand and didn't feel like buying a bottle (or even a nip) for the small amount needed. I followed the rest of the recipe to the letter. We ended up with a big batch of tiramisu, so we're still enjoying it a few days later!


Sunday, March 28, 2010

Tiramisu mmmmmm...

Posted by -colleen
Two words. Yum. Gone.
I love tiramisu and was so afraid of attempting my own version and killing it. Luckily, this did not happen. I chose a version I found on the Cooking Light website. I figured this would be a better version for me so if I loved it, I could eat more of it and not feel too badly about it. Yes, this is the way my brain works.
I only changed a couple of things:
First, despite the fact that I live in the land of the world's most amazing grocery store chain, Wegmans, I could not find any "cake-like" lady fingers. so, I bought dessert cups which seemed very similar.

Secondly, I only did one layer of cake. There is no way this recipe makes enough of the espresso drizzle for two layers of cake. I also used Splenda Brown Sugar because I always do and I love it. I would make this again but only if company were coming over to share so I wouldn't eat the entire thing by myself.



Tiramisu

Yield: 8 servings

Espresso drizzle:
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons instant espresso granules
2 tablespoons KahlĂșa (coffee-flavored liqueur)

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (3.5-ounce) carton mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons KahlĂșa

Remaining ingredients:
24 cakelike ladyfingers (2 [3-ounce] packages)
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, grated
To prepare espresso drizzle, combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons liqueur. Cool completely.

To prepare filling, combine cheeses in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons liqueur; beat at medium speed until well blended.

Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise. Arrange 24 ladyfinger halves, cut sides up, in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Drizzle half of espresso drizzle over ladyfinger halves. Spread half of filling over ladyfinger halves, and repeat procedure with remaining ladyfinger halves, espresso drizzle, and filling. Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa and chocolate; sprinkle evenly over top of filling. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Note: Place toothpicks in the center and in each corner of the dish to prevent the plastic wrap from sticking to the tiramisu as it chills.

CALORIES 260 (28% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 4.1g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.5g); IRON 0.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 104mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.4g; SODIUM 317mg; PROTEIN 7.1g; FIBER 0.5g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007


Saturday, March 27, 2010

Tiramisu heaven

Posted by -Sue
Thanks to Veronica, both for her challenge and her yummy recipe.
Not only had I never made tiramisu before, I don't ever recall having eaten it either, so this was a double treat. I used Veronica's recipe since I didn't find any that looked any better. It certainly was easy to put together. My only real mistake was to not double the rum/coffee mixture - I had read the reviews on the website, and had intended to do it, and in the process of "creating" promptly forgot all about it. I will say, though, that it wasn't a big deal. The coffee flavor was subtle, but definately there. I used instant espresso, because i was too lazy to brew coffee, so that may have been part of it.
I was a little leery of dipping the lady fingers, since the ones I used seemed very soft, so I drizzled, and even without the extra syrup, it worked well.
Most of these challenges seem to contain a moment of kitchen "magic" and this was no exception. Marscapone cheese is another of those ingredients I'd never used. For some reason, maybe because of all the dessert recipes I'd seen that used it, I expected it to be sweet. Quelle surprise! I certainly never anticipated the light buttery flavor. And when I started whisking it into the egg mixture, I foresaw disaster. The mixture was lumpy and curdled looking, but with a few more whisks it turned into this beautful, thick filling, reminiscent of the filling used in cannolis. Magic!!
I made this on a Saturday afternoon and took it to my book group the next night - they being my go-to guinea pigs - and it was delicious. It may not have had the rock star quality of the coconut cake, but it was close. There were a couple of pieces left over and I ate the last one on Tuesday. Guess what? It was just as good as the first piece!
Sorry for the lack of pictures. The camera was charged and ready to go but I was so engrossed in making the tiramisu it totally slipped my mind.

been part of it.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Bailey's Irish Creme and Vanilla Tiramisu

Pop. Quiz.

Enough with the moaning and groaning. Just put away your books. Take out your pencils.

And no one. Will. Get. Hurt.

Hey. If I have to suffer through an exam every week. Then the least you can do is go down with me. It's. Only. Fair.
Question one.

A piece of tiramisu comes to the emergency department of the hospital at which you are an attending and presents with a stab wound from a knife that entered through his umbilicus (i.e. what is approximately the center of his body). What layers did the knife puncture, in order from superior to inferior?
(a) external oblique fascia, rectus abdominis, rectus sheath, transversalis fascia

(b) Camper's fascia, Scarpa's fascia, rectus abdominis, transversalis fascia

(c) cocoa powder, vanilla-scented mascarpone, Bailey's- and coffee-infused ladyfingers, followed by another dreamy set (can you have too many) of vanilla-scented mascarpone, Bailey's- and coffee-infused ladyfingers

(d) peritoneal membrane, transversalis fascia, transversus abdominis, internal oblique
If you chose b as your correct answer. You sadly mistook your patient for a living, breathing person. Better go and study the difference between animate and inanimate objects. But good job on your human anatomy. If you're looking for a career in medicine, then I hear Cornell is accepting applicants. It seems that a spot has opened up since some crazy and reckless individual has decided to go to cooking school instead.

Wishful. Thinking.

If you chose c. You are CORRECT. You've been doing some outside reading, I see. Well done my friend. Well. Done.

If you chose a or d. You obviously know nothing about either tiramisu or your own body. Yeah. I'm not sure what you've been doing with your time either. Nothing productive. Obviously. It's okay. You have a chance to redeem yourself. Make this tiramisu. Eat two pieces (if you can stop there) and call me in the morning.

Doctor's orders.
Bonus question.

What have you submitted for Regional Recipes: Ireland? I know St. Paddy's day has come and gone but, as evidenced by this tiramisu, Bailey's (and Guinness) can be consumed. Year. Round. So let's get to it! The deadline for submission is March 31. Please send your entries to me at jhbruno87@gmail.com. Make sure you include a link to your recipe, a photo, and put a link to the event (i.e. my blog) on your post. Best news is - I will accept any Irish dish that you cooked for St. Paddy's day this year even if it was posted earlier this month. Just make sure you add in a link to the event!
Bailey's Irish Creme and Vanilla Tiramisu
Serves 9, adapted from Baking Bites

8 oz mascarpone, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup heavy cream, COLD
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup strongly brewed coffee, room temperature
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Creme
2 boxes of ladyfingers (each of my boxes had 20...I think I used 35 in total)
unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone, confectioner's sugar, heavy cream and vanilla until combined, fluffy, and smooth.

2. Mix the Bailey's and coffee together in a bowl. Dunk a ladyfinger into this mixture (2-3 seconds) and then layer it into the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Repeat until the bottom of the pan is covered in a single layer.

3. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture on top of this.

4. Repeat step 2.

5. Repeat step 3, adding all of the remaining mascarpone.

6. Dust with cocoa powder. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight or at least 6 hours.

7. Serve to your sister for her thirteenth birthday. Or. You know. Eat it while sitting at home on a Friday night studying for anatomy. It's your call.

This is my submission to this month's Have the Cake!




Posted by - Joanne

Monday, March 22, 2010

I am TOTALLY making this again.

Posted by - Veronica

Last weekend, I made my tiramisu. And I was amazed by how easy it was! I used soft ladyfingers (the only kind I could find in my grocery stores) and substituted the rum with kaluha, because I like it better. Also, my husband found a "Tiramisu Mascarpone" when shopping, which meant that the mascarpone cheese was infused with coffee. I was a bit nervous about this bit, I'll confess -- I worried that it would be too much coffee flavor. But those fears were groundless!


Here are my ingredients, all ready to be layered. I took Rena's advice on some things -- I laid out my first layer of ladyfingers in the pan, to drizzle coffee onto them. In retrospect, I actually won't do this next time. I had no problem dipping my second layer, and found that the drizzling created an uneven coffee coverage. I also waited until just before layering to make the whipped cream, to prevent it from falling as it got warm, which worked perfectly.


Second layer of ladyfingers, dipped in coffee. I had planned to take this picture right after putting them in, but forgot until I had glopped on some mascarpone mixture, so that's the picture you get instead. The mascarpone is distinctly tan due to the coffee that was already in it. I suspect most people have a much more cream colored mixture for this layer.


The finished tiramisu! It stayed in the refrigerator for about 30 hours before we cut into it, and it was SO GOOD! The flavors came together perfectly, the ladyfingers were moist without being mushy, and it was all so creamy on the tongue. I must resist making this every weekend now, or I will get very, very fat.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Tiramisu Cheesecake

Posted by - Susan of Baking with Susan

The other dish I made tonight was dessert. There is another group I have started posting with , Have the Cake. I was invited to join last month after Chaya of Sweet and Savory saw my Red Velvet cake and said that was the February challenge for the group. I decided to join and this month's challenge is Tiramisu. I have never made Tiramisu before and decided it was time to change that! My Mom had given me a recipe for a Tiramisu Cheesecake a couple of years ago, and I never got around to making it. In fact, I lost the recipe and totally forgot about it. Until I saw March's Have the Cake challenge. I emailed Mom and she still had the recipe and sent it to me. I am not sure where she got it from. She said a lady from church gave her the recipe. So, I can't give credit to whoever may have created it.

I thought this was delicious! You could detect the coffee flavor, but not the Kahlua. I think next time I might bump that up a bit. The cheesecake itself was smooth and creamy and the 2 tbls. coffee added didn't impact the flavor at all. It was strange not to have a "hard" crust on the bottom of the cheesecake. I usually use graham cracker or some kind of cookie crust. This crust, made from the coffee soaked ladyfingers was soft and just melted in my mouth. The shavings of chocolate were a nice touch, adding a hint of crunch, for just an instant, before melting into the creamy cheesecake itself. The hubby? "You've made better" was what he said. But, in all fairness, he's not a big coffee person so that may have influenced his review. :)

It was pretty easy to put together. I used store bought Ladyfingers and store bought Mascarpone cheese. I know you can make your own of both, and while I may do that in the future, today I just didn't have that kind of time. So, store bought it was. The first Ladyfingers I dipped in my coffee/Kahlua/sugar mixture I let get totally submerged and they dissolved! I scooped them out and hung on to the rest of them letting them only get soaked on one side! I won't go into all my step by step moves, rather I will just post the recipe and you can imagine me doing those things as I worked around in my kitchen. :)




Tiramisu Cheesecake

1 1/4 cup triple strength coffee (reserve 2 Tbls.)
2 Tbls. plus 1 1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbls. Kuhlua
1 1/2 package (7 oz. each) imported Italian savoiardi ladyfingers
3 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese, softened
1 Tbls. corn starch
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tub (8 oz.) mascarpone cheese
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, grated

1. Remove bottom of a 9x3 inch springform pan and wrap the bottom with plastic wrap.
2. Stir coffee, 2 Tbls. sugar and the Kahlua in a shallow bowl until sugar dissolves. Set 1/2 of the ladyfingers aside. For each of the remaining ladyfingers, quickly dip one side into coffee mixture and place wet side up on pan bottom to cover, cutting ladyfingers as needed to fit. Freeze about 15 minutes until firm. Lift plastic wrap, with ladyfingers, off pan bottom and place on a flat plate in freezer. 
3. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Reassemble the springform pan and coat with non-stick spray.
4. Quickly dip one side of reserved ladyfingers into coffee mixture. Place wet side up on pan bottom to cover, cutting ladyfingers to fit and pressing to fill spaces. Freeze until ready to assemble.
5. Beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time until just blended. Beat in mascarpone and reserved 2 Tbls. of coffee. Pour half the batter into pan; spread evenly. Top with ladyfinger layer from freezer; sprinkle with grated chocolate. Spoon remaining batter over chocolate. Spread evenly.
6. Bake 45 minutes, or until cake still jiggles slightly when shaken. Some bubbles may form on surface (will sink as cake cools). Turn off oven and leaving door closed, leave cake in oven for another 45 minutes.
7. Remove cake from oven. Carefully run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake (leave the pan sides on). Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably 1 day for best flavor.
8. To serve remove pan and place cake on a serving plate. Dust with cocoa; top with chocolate curls.  Enjoy!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

TiraMESSu

Posted by - Rena


Delicious but messy.

I'm early again for many reasons. My friend is coming to visit this weekend so I needed someone to share it with me. I can't be trusted with that much yummy goodness. I'm also waiting on the arrival of my niece towards the end of the month so I thought I should get it out of the way. Today was the day.

I used the recipe that Veronica posted. All the suggestions at the bottom of the post are spot on aside from the soft/hard ladyfingers and I say that only because I couldn't find soft ones and I can't imagine they are better to use than the hard ones. I'll get to that later.

Making tiramisu takes a lot of bowls and pots. I started with the egg yolks in a pot. I used a hand mixer to blend them with the sugar and the milk. I put them on the stove on medium heat as suggested and proceeded to have a nervous breakdown because of my egg issues. My friend and fellow HTC baker, Dorrie, was nice enough to calm me down and assure me that I wouldn't die from yolks that are only cooked for 2-3 minutes. I stirred the mixture the whole time until it was thick enough to coat the spoon. It went into the fridge to cool for an hour.

messy kitchen
and yes, that is an angel food cake in the left corner which was purchased in case the tiramisu failed.

I think the order in which you are told to do things is not the most efficient order. After the egg/sugar/milk mixture is put in the fridge, I should have started on the coffee. If you don't have it made, it takes a while to brew. I didn't have any instant on hand so I had to wait for water to boil and a few minutes in the press.

One of the tips is to double the amount of coffee & rum and I totally agree. Even a little bit more than double wouldn't have hurt. The rum should be based on your taste but definitely more coffee. I broke the ladyfingers and put them on a plate. The recipe says to put the coffee/rum mixture in a bowl but it makes more sense to put it in something that will pour. The first bunch of ladyfingers were doused in coffee and then I couldn't pick them up. It makes more sense to put them at the bottom of the pan or dish and pour the coffee on them. The second batch has to be done on the plate. I would recommend doing this after you assemble the first set of layers. Also, one of the suggestions was soft ladyfingers vs. hard. I bought hard ladyfingers and I would guess that soft ones would fall apart after soaked. Just my opinion, but I've only tried hard.

After the coffee is brewed, next is the mascarpone/yolk mixture. It was pretty simple with a hand mixer. It looks really yellow and shiny. After that, I would have done the whipped cream. I whipped it first and by the time I was done with other mixture and ready to assemble, the cream became a little runny.


The next part is the fun part and that is assembling the layers. I did exactly what the recipe said and it was pretty easy. I put it in the fridge to set and after 3 hours I stuck a spoon in to taste and it was delicious. You can't see the layers on the outside but they are in there.


In all honesty, I don't think I'll ever make it from scratch again but I feel great that I did it. The mascarpone cheese and ladyfingers broke the bank. I could only find them in one store and total, just those two items were $19. Too pricey for dessert. I'm sure they can be found cheaper but in a little town, they are hard to find. I'm going to enjoy every bite!


Update: It's true that the tiramisu tastes better after setting for a day. It's so incredibly delicious!

Monday, March 1, 2010

March's challenge!

Posted by - Veronica

I have just three words for you, bakers: Tira. Mi. Su.
I believe this translates from the Italian as "Yum. Nom. Num." At least, that's what it says on the internet.



Seriously, tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, and something that I always consider a delicacy when I see it on a restaurant menu. Because, who makes tiramisu at home? Not me, certainly. And even though I'm choosing it now, I'm still a little intimidated by it. But I found a great recipe over at All Recipes, which has a ton of reviews. Also some helpful advice in the reviews, so I definitely recommend popping over and reading. I'll note some of them here, though, as well.

Ingredients

6 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
2 tablespoons rum
2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

2. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peak form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.

3. In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee mixture.

4. Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

Here are some of the tips I read that I think will be helpful.

1. Use soft ladyfingers. I guess they come in both hard and soft, and the soft ones work much better in tiramisu. I read this in the comments of more than one recipe, so it must be true.

2. Double the coffee/rum mixture. Many people said they needed to do this.

3. Refrigerate at least 24 hours if possible. Apparently the flavors really come together after 24 to 48 hours.

Bon Appetit!