I love tiramisu. Love it. Whenever I go into Whole Foods, I make sure to include a little square in my purchase. I adore the creamy mascarpone, the coffee and liqueur-soaked lady fingers, and the barest of dustings of cocoa powder. Tiramisu might be the one dessert I eat slowly, savoring each spoonful (vs. greedily stuffing my face.)
How I managed to marry a man that doesn't also share the same love of tiramisu is beyond me. He'll choke it down, sure, but it doesn't sit on quite the same pedestal. Silly man. When Alexandra announced this round of HHDD, I was both elated and worried. I knew I would make it - I knew it - but I wasn't thrilled for the mournful sighs from the hubs ("Can't you make a dessert I like??!?!?!") . How could I make it in a way he would like it, nay, love it??
I was staring at the Donna Hay recipe Alexandra provided... that stare one uses when they don't really see the object of their staring?... and it clicked - I would turn the mascarpone cream into ice cream! I would blend the soaked lady fingers into it! It would be brilliant! My brain clicked back and I set to work. I decided to use the recipe provided, and tweak another D. Hay recipe for mascarpone ice cream - I figured, if I'm going to do this, I'm going the whole Donna Hay Way.
I was sneaky about it, for sure. I didn't tell Dave what I was up to. I didn't even explain why I was buying the lady fingers very well, "O, I need those for ice cream." Such is his trust in me, however, he didn't even ask for more information. Maybe it isn't trust, but he probably knows by now that he doesn't really need to know. He just eats what I make and is happy - that's enough for him. I made the base Saturday morning and poured it into the machine. Thirty minutes later, and it still hadn't reached the soft-serve stage... cold, for sure, but in no way thick enough to pop into the freezer. I let it go another 20 minutes, thinking more mixing might help. Nope - the opposite happened... my mix was back where I started, cold, but completely liquid. I considered throwing in the towel. Instead, I poured it out of the ice cream bowl and into two containers. I hadn't realized just how much was in the machine - easily twice what I normally run. Perhaps if I let the bowl refreeze and then just process half at a time? Bingo - success!
Meanwhile, I soaked the lady fingers in a mix of espresso and coffee liqueur. The delay in getting the ice cream processed meant that the finished product was a little soggy - but it still mixed into the mascarpone ice cream nicely.
Maybe too nicely? As you can see, there aren't too many "chunks" of soaked finger - more like swirls. I contend that this is part of the reason Dave enjoyed the ice cream as much as he did. You see, Dave doesn't drink coffee. Doesn't like it, not the smell, not the taste. The benefit of having the fingers so soaked as to be to blended in dispersed the flavor enough that it was never overwhelmingly coffee-flavored. Each bite was a brilliant blend of tiramisu - I think this might always be the method of production in our home going forward. I get my guilty indulgence, and my dear husband can enjoy it with me - except - now I have to share.
Tiramisu
c/o Modern Classics Book 2 by Donna Hay
via Addicted Sweet Tooth
http://addictedsweettooth.net/?p=277
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) strong espresso coffee
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) coffee liqueur
16 sponge finger biscuits, halved widthwise
cocoa powder for dusting
filling
1 1/4 cups (310 g/10 1/2 oz) mascarpone
1 1/2 cups (12 fl oz) (single or pouring) cream
3 tablespoons icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
To make the filling, place the mascarpone, cream and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk until light and creamy. Set aside.
Place the coffee and liqueur in a small bowl and stir to combine. Quickly dip both sides of half the biscuit halves in the coffee mixture and place in 4 glasses or small bowls. Top with half the filling. Dip the remaining biscuit halves, place on top of the cream layer and spoon over the remaining filling. Dust heavily with cocoa and refrigerate until required.
Serves 4.
Mascarpone Ice Cream
c/o Bear Necessities
http://brookes-bearnecessities.blogspot.com/2007/05/cinnamon-marscapone-ice-cream.html
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups water
2 tsp cinnamon
14oz mascarpone
1/2 cup cream
1. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat, add the cinnamon and leave syrup to cool.
2. Mix the syrup with mascarpone and cream. Place in an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions until ice cream is thick and scoopable.
Monday, July 28, 2008
HHDD #21: The Tiramisu That Won Him Over
Saturday, January 26, 2008
HHDD #17: Here, have a slice!
I have become a crazy-person about making pizza at home. With a few simple ingredients, anyone can make their own. Using either store-bough dough or home made (and its really not that hard to do), you can toss anything you like on your pizza. You can make it all one flavor or half-n-half, or one-thirds green pepper because you're mate doesn't care for them... and I'd like to see Pizza Hut make a one-thirds green pepper pizza!
You can imagine my delight when I read that Joey of 80 Breakfasts chose pizza as this round of HHDD's theme! (For those of you that remember, HHDD = Hay Hay it's Donna Day! is a fabulous event created by the lovely Barbara, honoring the much-adored Donna Hay. Each round's winner hosts the next, starting us off with a Donna Hay recipe that fits the new theme.)(For those of you that really remember, I was lucky enough to host HHDD #12: Caesar Salad. Totally fun!!)
Okay, enough with all that link-action - back to the pizza! I saw this pizza on an episode of Giada's Weekend Getaways.... she was in Boston and went to Sonsie's for an amazing-looking lunch of pizza... White cheese pizza with grilled corn and wood smoked bacon! As if that doesn't sound delicious enough, the cheese was cheddar and brie!! Chedder and BRIE!!
Sure, I go on and on about my love of goat cheese... but me and brie go waaaaaay back. When Dave has hockey games, I sometimes just have brie and toast for dinner... and this morning, I worked brie into our breakfast sandwiches (bacon, egg and brie on a bagel, if anyone is interested).
I saw the episode long before Joey announced her round, so when she did, I knew that this pizza would be it! I cooked the bacon first and used the bacon drippings to grill the corn. I don't know which is better: the brie or the corn cooked in bacon fat! My super-clogged arteries took one for the team, I know, but I'm a giver. :)
My thanks to Joey for such a fun choice and for giving me a good excuse to make this delicious pizza! Pop over to Joey's site for the roundup and a chance to vote!
White Cheese Pizza with Grilled Corn and Wood Smoked Bacon
Seen on Giada’s Weekend Getaways: Boston, Food Network TV
Recipe courtesy Chef Bill Poirier of Sonsie's in Boston
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_89142,00.html
8 ounces pizza dough, store-bought or home-made
1 tablespoon semolina flour
3 slices sharp Cheddar
5 (1/2-inch) cubes brie cheese
1/4 cup grilled corn kernels
3 strips cooked smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon freshly flat-leaf parsley, no stems
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano
Preheat oven with pizza stone to 475 ° F for 30 minutes.
Gently stretch dough to 11-inches in diameter. Place dough on pizza peel dusted with semolina to prevent sticking. Top dough with the Cheddar and brie cheese. Scatter corn, bacon and parsley leaves. Sprinkle pizza with olive oil then Romano. Slide pizza onto hot stone in oven. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until golden, cut into 6 slices and serve on warm plate.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Hay Hay it's Caesar: Tasty Round-up!
You guys rock!!!
I knew choosing Caesar Salad was a little different. I also had great faith that you guys would rise to the challenge and deliver some amazing recipes!!! Seriously, the high point of my day was opening my email to find all of your delicious entrys. I think anyone's need for salads this summer will surely be met by any one of these great ideas! Thank you so much for sharing and making my (first-ever) event so enjoyable!!!
Voting begins today, June 3rd, and runs until midnight on Saturday June 9th. The winner will be announced Sunday the 10th! Anyone can vote by emailing your choice to me at otherpeoplesfoodATgmailDOTcom. Good luck!!!
Entry #1
The HHDD #12 Roundup begins with Lisa and her Vegetarian Caesar Salad. As someone that’s trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals into her life, I was very glad to get her entry!
Entry #2
Janet is Hungry, and now I am too! Perfect for your next bbq, Janet combined her love of potato salad with Caesar, and ended up with a lovely looking Potato Caesar Salad! Yum!
Entry#3
Laura of Eat Drink Live takes such dreamy photographs of her meals, and this is no exception. Her Mini Caesar Salad Bites are perfectly adorable!!
Entry #4
Brooke, a fellow new food blogger, overcame her un-love of Caesar salad and came up with a very creative alternative – Parmesan Crusted Chicken Involtini! She combined everything Caesar-y, and created a nice little package!
Entry #5
Delightful Londoner Inne, of Vanille & Chocolat, surprised me with her Caesar Soup – I’d been hoping for creative recipes, and this certainly fits the bill! Great for a cool evening!
Entry #6
Thanks go to Edward of Wino Sapien, for his figure-friendly submission. Not only is his Caesar Salad healthy, it’s cute, too! (Don’t you carb-conscious folks worry, the croutons are multigrain!)
Entry #7
Heading into the colder months, Tara from Should You Eat That? was more interested in creating a warm Caesar dish, and I don’t blame her! Her Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad looks creamy and inviting – just what you want when the temperature drops!
Entry #8
With another healthy alternative, Deborah wows us with her Creamy Caesar Salad with Spicy Croutons and Shrimp. Sounds like a delicious mouthful!
Entry #9
New HHDDer Pam of Backyard Pizzeria brings us her delightful version of Caesar Salad. I am so glad she chose to join the fun with this event, aren’t you???
Entry #10
Despite disliking eggs (and anchovies), Alison rallied and submitted her very first HHDD entry – AND her first Caesar – Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons! I think she’s one brave cookie, and I for one am glad to have her!
Entry #11
With another photo that has me wanting to lick my screen, Sarina brings us her beautiful Spicy Caesar Salad. Her post delivers not only a great recipe, but a little history, too! Thanks!!!
Entry #12
Lauren B. from Burghilicious treats us to her Endive Lettuce Cups with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette and Frico entry. This was a pretty early post for her, and if this recipe means anything, it means that she’s a new blogger to watch!
Entry #13
Most Awesome Barbara, of Winos & Foodies, and creator of Hay Hay is Donna Day, brings to the table her Jamie Oliver-inspired Caesar Salad. I love croutons in general, and she roasts hers under a chicken! Yum!
Entry #14
I think Deinin’s Caesar Salad-Filled Bread rolls are so cute! She combines the bread and salad course all in one in a tasty, efficient little treat! Love it!
Entry #15
Ulrike of Küchenlatein (Kitchen Latin, if I translated that correctly), brought us her first Caesar Salad recipe (Insipired by Cardini's dressing)! I’m sure glad she did! Looks great!
Entry #16
Tami, from Running with Tweezers, confesses her undying love for Caesar Salad and kicks it up a notch by tossing in some fresh strawberries! Who wants to carpool with me to her house for Sunday brunch?
Entry #17
Joey kicks regular potato salad in the pants with her creamy Potato Caesar dish. She even kept to the Donna Hay Caesar recipe! Rock on!
Entry #18
Honoring the history of Caesar Salads, Anita at Married with Dinner cooked up her Senor Caesar entry. She even tossed in a hint from my fav. Smart guy, Alton Brown.
Entry #19
My mouth actually watered reading about Brigitte’s entry (and its an honest mouthful!) - Insalata dell'imperatore (Caesar salad made with baby romaine, pancetta, and truffles with anchovy-mayonnaise in parmesan baskets, and chiabatta-sticks). Dreamy!!!
Entry#20
Talk about taking one for the team!!! Bron was attacked by her salad ingredients!!! She persevered, however, and delivers a knockout Caesar Salad! Let this be a reminder, however – bacon: delicious AND dangerous!
Entry #21
Another great Jamie Oliver-inspired salad from Gilli of So So Simple Food. She dubbed it Hail Caesar Thanks Jamie – I say, Thanks Gilli!!
Entry #22
Arfi's salad, made to accompany her pumpkin cakes ,is not quite the traditional Caesar Salad, although it does contain green leaves and garlic. It is a Garlic, Lime and Chilli Prawns on a Baby Lettuce and Fresh Basil Salad.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Don't Forget About Caesar!!
Only three days left to get your HHDD #12: Caesar entries in to me! Come one, come all, gimme your Caesar! :)
On a side note, there was a really interesting article about romaine (aka cos) lettuce in Kim O'Donnel's blog, A Mighty Appetite, on the washingtonpost.com today. Check it out here.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Hay Hay its Donna Day 12: Caesar Salad
All craziness of this past week aside, I still have to pinch myself about this. I could barely contain myself when I got the email from Helen on Tuesday, sharing my win with me. Anyone I work with will tell you, I squealed (seriously) and bounced up and down the halls. I called my husband and squealed at him. Called my mom and squealed at her. I think all the nearby dogs heard me squeal in pitches unheard by man.
Why all the giddiness? Because I've only been blogging a month. Rookie luck? Probably. But I'll take it! I'll take it and I'll tell you why. I've always felt awkward: I never know what to say, strangers freak me out, yadda yadda... but talking about food? With other people that love food? Totally my element. And winning this event, to me, is kinda like not being picked last in gym class. My heart is all filled up and I thank you for that. (Could I be ANY lamer??) :)
Once the bouncing passed, I got to wondering what my theme would be for HHDD #12. I quizzed Barbara, creator of these lovely HHDD events, on how this process works. Without her, I think I'd still be brainstorming and pouring over recipes.
Then it came to me, with the last two months of fantastic, mouth-watering sweets, that I could really really use a salad. You know that feeling? You glut your way through a weekend, and you really just want some nice crunchy lettuce? Mind you, this caesar has bacon... but its crunchy, too, so... yah. :)
So, ladies and gentlemen, send me your salads, your wraps, your pizzas and your stuffed things. Anything with the main elements of caesar, and I want to see it. You all are a crafty bunch and I can't wait to see what you come up with.
Fine print:
Please post your caesar salad recipe by May 27th. Once posted, please email it to me at otherpeoplesfood AT gmail DOT com, including your name, name of your blog and its URL, title of your recipe and the URL to your post, and a picture of your caesar. (Whew!) I will post the round-up on June 3rd, winner declared June 10th. To the winner goes a copy of one of my favorite cookbooks and the hosting duties of HHDD #13 (lucky!)
To get you started, I picked Donna Hay's Caesar Salad from her Modern Classics Book 1, posted after the jump.
Good luck, and happy caesaring! :)
Caesar Salad
From “Modern Classics Book 1” by Donna Hay
6 rashers bacon
1 large cos (romaine) lettuce
sea salt and cracked black pepper
¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
croutons
1 thin baguette, sliced (32 slices)
olive oil
1 clove garlic, halved
dressing
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 anchovy fillets
¼ finely grated parmesan cheese
½ cup (4 fl oz.) vegetable oil
To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F). Place the baguette slices on a baking tray, brush with the olive oil and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Rub each slice with the cut garlic and set aside.
Place the bacon on a baking tray and cook under a hot grill (broiler) until crisp. When cooled, tear into large pieces. Trim the lettuce leaves, reserving the smaller inner leaves and roughly chopping the larger ones.
To make the dressing, process the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, anchovies and parmesan in a food processor until combined. With the motor running, gradually add the oil and process until smooth and creamy. To serve, toss together the lettuce, two-thirds of the dressing, the bacon, croutons, salt and pepper. Spoon over the remaining dressing and top with the shaved parmesan.
Serves 4.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
HHDD # 11: Mousse!
This recipe is wordy, no doubt about it. But don't be scared, it flows pretty easily, and before you know it, you're done. The first time I made these bars, I skipped making the sauce - and they were still great. This second time, I went ahead and made the sauce, and man-o-man, its well worth it. The nutty goodness that is left in the strainer is sooooo good, you should save it. I would have, but Dave came out (ok, ok, I called him out to taste it), declared the goo "highly edible" and proceeded to smear it on his ice cream. I might have helped. :)
This is my first month participating in Hay Hay Its Donna Day! and I hope you like it!
PS: O yah! Go to Tartelette and vote (ends 4/29)!!
From: Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating
By Michel Richard
Bottom Layer
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons peanut oil
7 ounces milk chocolate, melted and at body temperature
1 ¼ cups crushed cornflakes
Top Layer
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
5 ounces 60% semisweet chocolate, melted and at body temperature
Hazelnut Sauce (makes ¾ cup)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
½ cup (about 2 ounces) roasted hazelnuts, skins removed
Unsweetened cocoa power
1 pint raspberries
Whipped cream
Line an 8-inch square pan with plastic wrap, letting it overhang on all sides.
For the bottom layer, place the peanut butter and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium to medium-high speed until thoroughly combined and light in color, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Reduce the speed to low, add the chocolate, and mix for a minute, or until thoroughly combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the cornflakes.
Pour into the prepared pan. Using a small offset spatula, spread the mixture into an even layer, being sure to reach into the corners. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
For the top layer, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Place the chocolate in a medium to large bowl. Working fairly quickly, fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate. Fold in the remaining cream.
Pour the mixture over the bottom layer and spread into an even layer, being sure to reach into the corners. Bang the bottom of the pan against the work surface to eliminate any air bubbles in the top layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the top layer is set, at least 4 hours. (At this point, the dessert can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
For the hazelnut sauce, stir the sugar and water together in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat just to moisten the sugar, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the caramel is a light amber. If any sugar crystals cling to the sides of the pan as the caramel cooks, brush them down with a damp pastry brush.
Meanwhile, combine the cream and milk in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm (warming the liquid will help to keep the sugar from hardening when the liquid is added.) Set aside in a warm spot.
When the caramel is light amber, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the hazelnuts, coating them in the caramel. Return the pan to the heat, add the cream mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes. The nuts should be thoroughly coated and the caramel liquefied, without any solid pieces. Transfer to a large blender (be careful, the mixture will be hot.)
Cover the top of the feed tube with a towel and process until the nuts are finely ground. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. (The sauce can also be refrigerated, covered, for 3 days.)
One hour before serving, remove the pan from the refrigerator. Using the plastic overhang, remove the block from the pan and place on the work surface. Peel off the plastic. It is best to cut the bars with a warm large knife. Have a deep container of hot water nearby; dip the knife into the water, and dry with a kitchen towel before each cut. Cut into sixteen 4-by1-inch bars.
Using a tea strainer, or a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops of the bars with cocoa powder: Brush gently so the cocoa fills in any small holes. Let the cocoa sink in for a minute, then dust a second time for a smooth finish.
Arrange 4 bars on each serving plate. Spoon the sauce around the bars, and garnish with the whipped cream and raspberries.
See the recipe...
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