Building a better Tiramisu

I never understood the appeal of tiramisu, until I tasted the 'real deal' while on vacation in Rome. Light, rich and boozy, the Roman version put other sad and soggy attempts to shame. But truth be told, it is really not necessary to go to Italy for decent tiramisu. All you need is a good recipe and some tips to avoid the inherent pitfalls which come with making it. 

Let me start by saying, I made a lot of tiramisu this summer. The first go-around was at culinary school in Abruzzo, Italy. Later versions were made for family and friends on Eastern Long Island. And with each consecutive go-around, I tweaked my recipe until I was completely satisfied with the results.

Most tiramisu recipes call for the same ingredients: namely, egg yokes, sugar, mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, espresso, liqueur and lady finger cookies. However, many recipes differ in the ratio of these ingredients and this can definitely impact on how the tiramisu turns out.

Dino Paganelli, one of our culinary instructors and the executive chef at Palazzo Tour D'Eau, uses 3 egg yokes, 1 whole egg and 3 tablespoons of sugar as the base of his tiramisu.  He beats the eggs and sugar by hand, and then partially whisks in 250 grams (approximately 8 ounces) of mascarpone cheese. He then whisks in 150 mls of whipped heavy cream, and beats the mixture until well incorporated. To assemble the tiramisu, he alternates the mascarpone cream with espresso-soaked lady fingers.

Italian Lady Fingers (savoiardi), pictured above, are very different than the sponge cake lady fingers we commonly see in the states. Savoiardi are crisp, with just a touch of sweetness. They generally hold up better after a brief soaking in espresso. But don't be fooled; if they linger in the espresso too long, they will quickly became soggy and disintegrate.

My initial attempt to replicate this recipe at home was OK, but not exceptional. My mascarpone cream did not have the lightness and volume I was hoping for. The second time around, I omitted the whole egg and increased the amount of sugar and cream. Equally as important, I used an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks and sugar (and later the cream), which gave the mascarpone cream more volume. 

These changes did the trick. As you can see below, the mascarpone cream was just luscious. 

I have made this recipe with both spongy lady fingers and savoiardi.  The latter is more authentic, but much harder to find. If you use American lady fingers, dip them very quickly on one side only. If you feel that they are too saturated, you can line the perimeter of your dish with dry lady fingers. They will soak up any residual liquid and make for a very pretty presentation. 

 

If you are using savoiardi, I would recommend the "drop and roll" method suggested by Cook's Illustrated.  Basically, they recommend dropping the lady finger into the espresso and than rolling them over within 2-3 seconds.  In this way, the espresso does not completely saturate the cookie (and you avoid soggy tiramisu). Definitely avoid submerging the cookies: otherwise, they will completely disintegrate into mush.

The tiramisu can be assembled in small, individual portions (as pictured above) or in a 9"x 13" baking. Either way, the process is the same:

Arrange soaked lady fingers snuggly in the baking dish

Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers

Repeat layering (i.e soaked lady fingers and the remaining mascarpone cream)

Dust top of tiramisu with cocoa

Tiramisu sets up in the refrigerator, and should be chilled at least 6 hours or overnight. If you make it in the baking pan, I find that scooping out a portion with a serving spoon works the best.

Tiramisu does not store well (the cream breaks down quickly), so only make as much as you need.  In any case, I doubt there will be left overs.  Everyone raves about this dessert. Enjoy.

The printable recipe is here.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice

When I came across this recipe for Pomodori al Riso on Elizabeth Minchilli's food/travel blog, I just knew that I had to try it. I also knew that the perfect time to try the recipe would be late August -- when tomatoes are at their peak and I am in the country on vacation.

  

Elizabeth's recipe calls for 12 medium sized tomatoes.  Ideally, they should be about the same size, but if they aren't, don't stress. This is a non-stress kind of recipe.

To prep the tomatoes, cut off the tops and reserve.  Using a spoon (or melon baller), scoop the pulp out of each tomato, and place it (along with the juice) in a separate bowl. While preparing the filling, place the tomatoes and tops (upside down) on a paper towel to drain.

The filling for the tomatoes consists of the pulp, the juice, onion/garlic, olive oil, rice and salt/pepper to taste. I like to add finely chopped basil for additional flavor, but other fresh herbs work equally as well.

After the ingredients are combined, let the mixture sit for approximately 90 minutes before stuffing the tomatoes. This will allow the rice to soften and swell -- eliminating the need to precook it. The remaining tomato juice and olive oil will be absorbed by the rice as the tomatoes bake. 

To assemble the dish, oil a large baking dish. Place the tomatoes snuggly in the dish; season the inside of each tomato with salt and pepper and place a whole basil leaf on the bottom.

In Rome, these tomatoes are traditionally served with roasted potatoes. If this seems like carbohydrate overload, you can certainly eliminate them.  But honestly, I wouldn't. They are really delicious and they can always be eaten at a later time. They also serve a highly functional purpose: they keep the tomatoes in place while roasting.

After placing the potatoes around the tomatoes, fill each cavity with the rice mixture and place the corresponding top back on each tomato.

 

I used 7 small, new potatoes for this dish, which I scrubbed clean and cut into quarters. If your potatoes are larger, you can use fewer.  I like to toss the potatoes in some olive oil before adding them to the pan, so that the oil is evenly distributed. Additional olive oil should be drizzled directly onto the tomatoes before they go into the oven.

The tomatoes bake for approximately 90 minutes at 375 degrees. Ovens vary, so I would check them after an hour (The dish is generally done when the potatoes are fully cooked and the rice has absorbed all the liquid.) 

Pomodori al Riso is a true summer dish, that is typically served at room temperature. It can be served as an appetizer, a side dish, or a light summer meal. However you eat it, I know you will enjoy it. It was certainly an overwhelming hit when my mother and I prepared it for friends and family over Labor Day Weekend. 

The printable recipe is here.

Picture Perfect

My 91 year old grandmother, Sophia, makes a killer potato salad. Last weekend, we had a BBQ and this is what she brought! She used yukon gold potatoes, which were a beautiful contrat to the red onion and parsley from my mother's garden.  It was almost too pretty to eat. Well, almost.

Something this good doesn't last very long.

'Slim Pickings' at Patty's Berries and Bunches

My sister and I have wanted to go berry picking since June. But it has been a busy summer of holiday celebrations, parties and cable installations -- and somehow, it never materialized. With time literally running out, we finally got to Patty's Berries and Bunches last weekend to pick raspberries. Go team!

For those of you unfamiliar with berry picking, I thought I would walk you through the process, and explain some of the unofficial rules. (If you would like to read the official rules, they are here.  I am not sure how they enforce rule #8 , but so be it.)

Rule No.1  Enlist the help of 2 able-bodied young gents. If they put up a fuss, bribe them (I mean reward them) with money. It works.

Rule No. 2  Park as far away from the raspberry bushes as possible, so that the able-bodied gents can stop and admire the flowers. Ok, at least mommy and Michelle can admire the flowers.

In case you are wondering, you can't 'pick your own' flowers at Pattys, but you can buy generous bouquets for $8.50.

Unfortunately, due to the torrential rain storm that we had the night before (as well as the advancing date), we were greeted with a sign that forecast 'slim picking' for the day.  

 Not to be deterred, we purchased our baskets, and went to work.  Ok, Dillan did appear a bit skeptical but would his mother and aunt really throw him under the bus? Never!

Unripened blackberries

The forecast was quite accurate. It took us 2 hours to pick 4 pints of raspberries with a few blackberries thrown into the mix. But we prevailed, and won over at least one convert.

Here he is proudly sitting next to our bounty.  His brother, on the other hand, was not so easily won over.  Bees and blazing hot sun are just not his thing.  In fact, he declared as we were leaving, "I never want to be a farmer when I grow up". I will remind him of that the next time he avoids his summer reading for school.

Patty's Berries and Bunches * 410 Sound Avenue * Mattituck, NY * 631-298-4679