Tiramisu - Two cookies compete!

Hello,

I recently bought Gourmet Magazine on my last trip to the grocery store. http://www.gourmet.com/
I don't usually buy it because I've got countless cookbooks and I also receive Food Network Magazine in the mail. However, this issue was all about Classic Italian recipes. I flipped through a few pages and saw this Tiramisu recipe.

Fact:
Tiramisu means "Pick-me-up" in Italian.

Tiramisus to live up to…


My Mom's:
I was never really into it. I'd had a bite or two growing up but I wasn't a fan of dessert in general.
My mom makes it every single Christmas. People say its the best they've tasted and now, even I love it.
Her cream is light, fluffy and voluminous. Her secret? She whips egg whites and folds them in.

Da Emma's:
My friend David told me that I HAD TO TRY the tiramisu at DaEmma Restaurant. I was sceptical but he was so right! I never miss a chance to have it when I go and of course, from day one, I've been obsessed with decoding the flavour to figure out what it could be made with. The waiter there said that if he told me , he'd have to kill me. lol I don't care, I'll just keep going there to enjoy it. The mascarpone cream mixture is the best I've tasted.

Now, about the cookies. I heard that the traditional Genovese style tiramisu is made with giant lady fingers (cut in two, lengthwise) as opposed to the more widely used Savoiardi lady fingers. Their consistencies are very different. Giant Lady fingers and soft and cakey while Savoirardi cookies are airy, light and crisp.

This was my first time making a full sized traditional Tiramisu and I could not decide which cookies to use. I actually can't decide anything and I usually regret whatever I choose anyway. Ah , the nature of a Libra. So what did I do? I used both. I figured that I'd turn this into a Tiramisu cookie face-off and have family and friends decide which are best!

Who will win?? Genovese tradition or standard Savoiardi?? We'll be judging on how they absorb the liquid, consistency, taste and how they look.

This recipe intrigued me because it calls for Zabaglione mixed with mascarpone folded with whipped cream. 

Zabaglione: an Italian dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, a sweetwine, usually Marsala wine

Marsala wine: produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily - a fortified wine similar to Port

Mascarpone: an Italian triple-cream cheese made from crème fraîche

I was hesitant because I didn't know if the Marsala flavour would be too strong. The smell and look of it reminded me of a tawny port.  I didn't want my Tiramisu to taste like that. 

Well, there was no reason to stress.  It gives off such a wonderful, subtle sweetness - the mixture was worthy of being eaten on its own! I was thrilled with the outcome.

Now finally, the recipe:

Tiramisu

Ingredients

2 cups of freshly brewed espresso (or 2 cups of boiling hot water w/ 3 tbsp of instant espresso powder)

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp of sugar - divided

3 tbsp of Tia Maria liqueur

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup of dry Marsala wine

1lb of mascarpone cheese (2+1/2 cups)

1 cup of heavy cream 35% - chilled

36 Savoiardi cookies

Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Equipment

13x9x3 inch baking dish

Directions

Stir together freshly prepared espresso, 1tbsp of sugar and Tia Maria in a shallow bowl until sugar dissolves; let cool.

Beat egg yolks, Marsala and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water using a whisk or handheld mixer (This made me nervous because I've never used my mixer to beat something over the stove but it was ok. Just make sure that the cord of your mixer stays clear of the flame/heat. Also, make sure your water is not boiling or your egg might cook too quickly and become lumpy). 

Beat until it has tripled in volume (5 to 8 minutes) 

Remove bowl from heat.

Beat in Mascarpone until combined.

In a separate large bowl, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.

Fold mascarpone mixture into whipped cream gently but thoroughly. 

Quickly dipping both sides of each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture, line the bottom of the baking dish with 18 ladyfingers in 3 rows. (trimming edges if necessary) 

Spread half the mascarpone filling on top. Dip remaining 18 ladyfingers in coffee and arrange over filling in the dish.

Spread remaining mascarpone filling on top 

Dust lightly with cocoa.

Chill, covered for at least 6 hours.

Let Tiramisu stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Tiramisu can be chilled up to 2 days.

Yolks may not be fully cooked. 

The verdict!!

Everyone loved this recipe. Its a real winner!  I was serving seconds and even thirds. (Ok specifically, it was my father-in-law who had thirds)

My mom, who reigns supreme with her Tiramisu recipe, said that this one was really good & that I should definitely make it again.

Which cookie won? Let me just say that all cookies are winners. "Losing cookie" - sounds so cruel and unjust ...

The cookie which fared best were the Savoiardi. I guess that's why they are more widely used. They absorbed the coffee but still retained their shape and texture. The giant lady fingers seemed to mush down , even with a minimal amount of coffee. You can clearly see that the Savoiardi kept their shape (to the left). 

I just want to say that my fist layer of cookies were dipped a little too long in the coffee mixture. I got the hang of it by my second layer. I also find that I put way too much cocoa on top for my taste. The Zabaglione mixture was better without cocoa.

I hope you try this recipe! Enjoy!

Sexy Zebra, Double Chocolate & Pistacchio Biscotti

Hello all,

I have a great recipe to share with you today...

I'm not a fan of biscotti. There are only a few times when I could say that I really enjoyed one. However, I was flipping through my cookbook "Pasta Et Cetera" a la DiStasio and I came across this recipe. These cookies looked different from what I've seen - they looked beautiful & decadent. I loved how the bright green pistachios stood out against the dark chocolate.

The author of this cookbook, Josee DiStasio is a popular Montreal Chef- especially with the French speaking foodie community. She's also friends with another local Chef which I was lucky enough to cook with - Franca Mazza. Fun fact - Franca has appeared on Josee's show a few times.  I've never caught the show myself but I hear its great. I love to encourage and try recipes from local chefs. We have a lot to be proud of up here.


Check out her site to learn more about her.  
http://aladistasio.telequebec.tv/a_la_distasio/accueil.html

So, I made them. The result? They tasted as great as they looked. I added my own little twist to the recipe by making a kinda" zebra motif over top. They looked like....edgy.. modern....sexy Biscotti if that's possible...lol

Here is the recipe.

Makes 36 biscotti

Ingredients.

2 Cups of flour

1/2 Cup of Cocoa

1tsp of baking soda

1/2tsp of salt

1/4 Cup of of butter at room temp.

1 Cup of sugar

2 extra large eggs at room temp.

2tsp of vanilla extract

2tsp of almond essence 

1 Cup of whole, shelled pistachios (unsalted - can be found at any nut shop such as "Best Nuts" on St-John's in the West Island.

145g or 5oz of 58 to 70% Cocoa - finely chopped

*Keep a small amount of flour aside in case the dough is too sticky.

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. 

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a bowl sift flour cocoa, baking soda and salt - set aside

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time and mix again after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract and Almond essence

With a wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients, the nuts and the chocolate, working the dough with your hands. Add some extra flour if dough is too sticky.

Divide the dough in two and roll into a log of about 10 inches in length and 3 inches in width. 

Cook at the center of the oven for 30 minutes or until the dough seems firm to the touch. 

With the help of two spatulas, place the logs on a cooling rack for about 20 mins ( i never wait long enough, Im too impatient)

Reduce the oven temperature to 300.

Place the logs on a cutting board. With a bread knife (Serrated) cut diagonal slices of about 1/2 and inch in width.

Lay them down on the baking sheet and continue to bake them for another 10 minutes.

Allow them to cool. Biscotti can be stored in an air tight container for about 2 weeks but they won't make it to two weeks, I guarantee it.

Once biscotti are cool, dip the top in some melted chocolate. - I usually just melt "Baker's" brand chocolate in the microwave.

I used semi-sweet and white chocolate and drizzled them over the tops of the cookies to give it that Zebra look.

Enjoy and of course, give me feedback!! xoxo

Thanks for reading!!

Tiramisu, My-misu, Franca-misu...its all good-misu

Hello Vanillabeaners!

For my bridal shower, I had the opportunity to see Chef Franca Mazza in action. My shower took place at Atelier Franca Mazza at the Marche 440 in Laval. You can either attend one of her cooking classes where she explores different themes such as appetizers for instance, or fois gras... OR..you can have a private dinner there with your friends (with or without cooking instruction). I highly recommend this to anyone who loves good food and wants to try something new.

At my shower she and her suchef Pino showed us how to make her version of a Tiramisu. It is made with green tea instead of coffee.

Here it is:

Franca's Green tea & Strawberry Tiramisu

Ingredients

-2 cups of 35% cooking cream (yikes!! - yeah but what the heck did you think it was made of..lol)
-500G of Mascarpone cheese
-60ML of Gagliano liqueur
-1 + 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
-2 vanilla beans worth of seeds (scrape them out of the pod with a sharp knife)
-4 cups of steeped green tea
-12 ladyfinger cookies
-1 cup of sliced Strawberries.

Directions

Using an electric mixer, combine cream, mascarpone, Gagliano liqueur and sugar. (it should be pretty stiff but not as much as plain whipped cream would be. This mixture is heavier. - As long as its not liquidy)
Scrape the vanilla beans and add seeds to mixture.
Dip ladyfingers quickly in green tea and start layering putting the cookies at the bottom.
Add strawberries and top with cream mixture - repeat and finish with cream.

That's it!!

NOW...I'm more of a traditional tiramisu kinda' girl....actually to be completely honest - I never really liked Tiramisu at all but if I gotta' have it, it has to be with coffee - like my mother makes it (and DaEmma's but we won't talk about that..lol my mother doesn't like me saying that)

So I followed Franca's recipe but substituted the green tea for coffee and the liqueur with Kahlua or Irish Cream. (I always make a mistake and call it Irish Spring for some reason. DO NOT USE IRISH SPRING - lol sounds like the warning on my hairdryer "Do not use while sleeping" lol)


Also, I only put strawberries on top. (I did not add them to the layers.)
Then I grated some chocolate over-top and garnished with mint leaves.

I made individual ones in glasses, they looked pretty but they were wayyy too much for one person - lol.

I really want to try Banana-misu - my friend David Ialenti gave me the idea. I'll keep you posted!!

Steph

Mini Caramelized Banana Cheesecakes (Sucre brûlé on top)

Its so good , so decadent, so crispy!

The Recipe...

 Topping

 Have a bag of white sugar near by - for the brulé topping.

 2-3 bananas (not too ripe)

 1 chef's torch (or any torch you have lying around lol)

Crust

1 box of Oreo crumbs to make pie crust. Follow directions indicated on the box.

You'll need:

1 1/4 c. chocolate cookie crumbs

3-4 tbsp. butter, melted

Either press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the 12 ramekins - (about 2 tbsp or so per ramekin) or press crumb mixture into a 9" spring form pan.

For Cheesecake

• 2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 5 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1. For cheesecake, beat cream cheese until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add brown sugar in 2 additions, beating well after each addition. Beat in butter. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. 
2. Pour mixture into your pan or divide equally into your ramekins
3. Bake cheesecake in a water bath: place spring form pan into a baking dish and pour hot tap water around it, to come halfway up the pan.  
4. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until filling puffs just slightly around edges but still moves a little in center when shaken.
5. Remove pan from water and allow to cool for 2 hours before refrigerating overnight. Cheesecake will set.

See, place your ramekins in a "bain marie" as shown then pop them in the oven!

n. , bain-ma·rie 
A large pan containing hot water in which smaller pans may be set to cook food slowly or to keep food warm.

Start with 2 bananas. Slice them into thin slices, like disks and place them as shown but try to flatten them  so that they're flush or lower than the edge. Press down gently. I didn't do the best job here ..lol..

Spoon a generous amount of sugar over the bananas.

Gently and carefully torch your sugar until it begins to bubble and turn a lovely amber color. 

Serve within 2 hrs. 

The cheesecake may be made ahead of time and refrigerated, however make your banana and sugar topping before serving. 

Note:

(once refrigerated for a couple of hours, the sugar topping will liquify, unfortunately)

----------------------------------

Great Option: 

Drizzle caramel over the cookie crust, before you pour your cheesecake mixture in.

I know...in the pic I'm not drizzling but DRIZZLE!

Here's the recipe for the caramel. Caramel made this way is the best. Do not buy store bought caramel its just not the same. 

I'll be honest, I messed up the first time. My caramel burned and solidified in my little pot...with the spoon in it! I just walked a way for a minute or two! It became like, rock-hard, solid as rock!!..I had to soak it for 2 days. It was like freakin' Sword in the Stone!

Ok , second time's a charm...here goes. 

(It bubbled over a little into my burner, but I still succeeded!) 

Caramel

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup or lemon juice
• 1 cup whipping cream

1. For caramel topping, combine sugar, water and corn syrup or lemon juice in a pan. Bring to a simmer without stirring and cook, uncovered, until it turns a rich amber color. While cooking, occasionally brush down the sides of the pot with a brush dipped in cool water.

1. Once sugar has reached desired color, remove from heat and carefully stir in whipping cream (watch out for the steam and bubbling). Return to medium heat and simmer until reduced by a third, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Chill until thickened but still fluid, about 15 minutes.

It makes a lot of caramel but I'm sure you'll find something to do with the rest. :)

Teaser!! Mini Caramelized Banana Cheesecakes (Sucre brûlé on top)

Hi Guys!

If you love cheesecake, bananas, an Oreo crust and creme brulee...you will loooove this recipe. This actually has nothing to do with creme brulee though, except for the crispy sugar coating over my sliced banana topping.

I discovered this recipe at a great restaurant which was a favorite of ours. I say "was" because unfortunately it is now closed. It was called Savannah and they were specialized in Southern Soul food with a sophisticated side - kind of Soul food haute cuisine, if you will.  They had a fantaaastic wine list - reasonably priced. The menu was complete with lots of seafood - especicically Crab dishes, spicy shrimp,  gumbo.... they had the best ribs, collard greens, black eyed peas...the whole nine yards! On their brunch menu, they even had Grits!! (Does the mention of grits remind you of "My Cousin Vinny" too?? lol)  - I truly miss you Savannah!

You can make individual cheesecakes, like me or you can make a full sized cake with this recipe.

I used 12 medium sized ramekins (3" in diameter) / or use a 9" spring form pan.


To make the "brulee" sugar topping like the professionals, you should have a chef's propane torch. They're small and easy to use like this one, which I googled. You can find one at Ares kitchen supplies http://www.arescuisine.com/ or at Tzanet http://www.tzanet.com/en/contactus.html
 

However, if you don't have a torch, you can put them in the oven on broil until you get the desired result. Keep your eye on it though! It doesn't take much for it to burn.


Well.......I didn't have a torch so my boyfriend lent me his. As it is not meant for cooking, it was a little bigger ..lol..

 Say hello to my little friend..

I kinda' burned a few along the way.

What do you expect with this freakin' flame thrower!?


Luckily, I had 12 mini cheesecakes to do...lotsa' practice!





Dialog overheard..."Adjust the valve!" 
"The flame is too high...now its too low!"  You're too close....you're too far...move faster!!...It's burning! SHUT IT OFF, I DON'T KNOW HOW!!" ..."YOU BURNT MY EYE! " 
(just kidding - no humans were harmed during this recipe and no eyebrows missing)


They were still excellent but a little on the dark side.