Saturday, February 27, 2010

Daring Bakers: Tiramisu


One of the things I like about Daring Bakers is the surprise that comes the first of every month, letting you know what the challenge is for the next month. I like this challenge this month because even though I have done tiramisu before, I have always been perplexed on what to do with the eggs. Raw eggs for my husband and I doesn't bother me. Its for my kids that I worry. What if this one time there is salmonella. So this months recipe doesn't have whipped raw eggs, it has other creamy lusciousness to take it's place. I enjoyed trying this very tasty new recipe.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.
TIRAMISU

(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:
1 cup pomegranate juice, warmed
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the pomegranate juice, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered. Plae raspberries over top. Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
Cut into individual portions and serve.

MASCARPONE CHEESE

(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method:

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.

It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI



BISCUITS

(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar,

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

LINKS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Site Links:
Step by step pictures for Tiramisu including zabaglione & pastry cream
Gluten Free Ladyfingers: 1000 gluten-free recipes by Carol Fenster (ladyfingers pg 436, Tiramisu pg 651)Gluten free Ladyfingers and Tiramisu
Diary Free Tiramisu: Levana Cooks Diary-Free by Lévana Kirschenbaum, Menachem Adelman, Meir Pliskin (pg 86)

Video links for making tiramisu:
These are not for the recipe given for this challenge, but the procedure in the video would be a helpful guide.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TEJXgjId8w
Gordon Ramsay - Video for dipping savioardi - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HlqQqP6Mcw

27 comments:

LittleRed said...

I LOVE your Lady Circles! Very cute:) Did you you freeze it to slice it so perfectly? Mine would not slice like that unless I froze it I think.

Lori said...

THank you Little Red. I did freeze it to slice it. Everytime I have amde tiramius, the slices are messy. So I did the freezer trick this time with about half the recipe.

Beth said...

Great photo! Love the suspended raspberries!

Jen said...

Lovely tiramisu, Lori. Great job! I was really worried about how slice-able mine would be so decided to go with the trifle and not have that issue to deal with :)

-Jen from Food and Whine (http://www.fortysomething.ca)

Lisa said...

I just love the raspberries in there - they are just so bright. I was looking at someone elses raspberry version and I think if I was going to make this again raspberry would be the way I would go - gorgeous!

Cristine said...

Your tiramisu looks absoltely gorgeous!

Jenni said...

Great job! Your tiramisu looks so fun and summery!

Jane said...

What a beautiful variation on the typical tiramisu form! Very lovely, and I must tell you I think your blog is wonderful too!

Natalie, aka "Sheltie Girl" said...

Beautiful job on your tiramisu! I love all the raspberries - they make the dessert look so cheery and singing of spring time.

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

Anonymous said...

Beautiful raspberry version! I just love raspberries, and can only imagine how delicious they would be in tiramisu. Nicely done. :)

vibi said...

What beautiful colours your raspberry tiramisu has! So fresh and invigorating... enough to remind us Spring is knocking at our doors!
Bravo Lori!

Barbara Bakes said...

I love both the individual dishes and the slice that you made. I love raspberries! They look delicious!

Lauren said...

Just gorgeous!! I love the raspberries - they add such beautiful colour =D.

Deeba PAB said...

That's beautiful Lori...I love your lady circles and your indiv portions. The raspberries are calling my name, and now I wish I had some of what I see here. YUM!!

hungryandfrozen said...

Oh my gosh, this is a full on recipe. It looks like it would have taken six weeks to make! Looks very, very pretty though :)

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Great looking Tiramisu there. Raw eggs were a worry for us, so we were happy when we found this recipe.
Thanks for baking with us.

Suz said...

The raspberries running through your tiramisu look so gorgeous, and your savoiardi came out perfectly.

I get so excited about the first of the month too. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. :D

Great job!

Jenny said...

I love raspberries, and I would love to have tasted your tiramisu - it looks gorgeous! Wonderful job on the challenge!

grace said...

you really embraced this challenge, lori, and i LOVE what you've done. the fact that there's finally a little color to the normally-drab tiramisu is very exciting! :)

Heather B said...

yum! Great job. It looks delicious with the raspberries!

Katy ~ said...

An excellent effort with delicious results. Yummm..raspberries... so tempting and inviting... I would love a nice serving of this!! Love the ladyfinger discs! Good interpretation.

kat said...

That looks so beautiful! I'm have become a Daring Bakers slacker I'm afraid

Lisa said...

Lori, that is one perfect slice of heaven and your raspberry tiramisu is gorgeous..as in 5 tsra dessert gorgeous. I never got mine frozen enough for a nice, clean cut, but then again, leaving the challenge to the last minute isn't conducive to that lol

Tom said...

Great idea of adding pomegranate juice instead of coffee!

Robin said...

Lori this challenge was amazing to me and a real challenge that everything was made from scratch. You did a great job and I am sure it was absolutely delicious!

ellie said...

Oh my that looks so beautiful- i love the addition of raspberries and i feel the same about uncooked eggs so this is great to see.

Good job on the challenge!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Looks wonderful, Lori!
~ingrid