Sunday, March 10, 2013

Tiramisu - English version recipe





        Who doesn't like a delicious Tiramisu? That fluffy light cream, the soft ladyfingers, and that great cocoa flavor that makes this cake just perfect.

        It's perfect in the winter, when you cuddle yourself under a blanket, watching a romantic movie, or in a hot summer day, when you take a piece right from the refrigerator, and every spoon you take, you can feel it cooling your body.

        A well done Tiramisu, it's like a perfect date: you just can't get enough of it.

        Hoping that I've made you crave for a piece, I'm gonna share with you my secret recipe. It is an original Italian Tiramisu recipe, from a native Italian chef cook.


        You will need the followings: 

        - 6 eggs
        - 500 g mascarpone cheese
        - 80g - 100g of sugar (depending on how sweet you want it to be)
        - 2 1/2 cups brewed espresso
        - 4 tablespoons coffee liqueur
        - 48 ladyfingers
        - 30g dark chocolate
        - cocoa for dusting


        To make the job easier, put all the ingredients in small bowls (those who aren't already in a container).

        Take a large bowl and separate the eggs, putting the yolks in this bowl. Add the sugar and mix together until the yolks turn white and triples their volume.

        After that, add the Mascarpone cheese and 1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur, and stir until everything blends together.

        Beat egg whites until they are firm, and after that, fold them into the cheese cream mixture. Do this very gently, in order to don't break the whites, because we want a firm cream, not a runny one.

        Mix the brewed espresso with the remaining 3 tablespoons of coffee liqueur, and dip the ladyfingers into it, one by one, being careful not to hold it in for too long, because they will absorb more liquid than it's needs, and will crumble, leaving you with something you won't be able to use anymore.

        It is preferable to use a large food box (about 3.5 - 4 liters box) to assemble the cake in, this way the walls of the box will help keep the shape of the cake, not allowing the cream to run off the ladyfingers.




       On the first layer of ladyfingers, put a layer of cream and sprinkle cocoa powder. Start dipping ladyfingers for the next layer, arranging them perpendicular to the first. Spread the remaining cream cheese, sprinkle cocoa powder and the grated dark chocolate (50 - 60 % cocoa) on top, until you cover it completely.

        Keep it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving, and use a cake knife to cut it in smaller pieces when you want to eat it.

        Never put it in the freezer, because it won't taste the same.


        So there you have it. A great, delicious, refreshing dessert, that can turn any day into a celebration day. It is easy to make, and always looks festive.

        And trust me, you will become an expert, because it will disappear so fast from your tray that you wont even realize what happened, and your friends and family will keep asking you to make a new batch.

        But don't let yourself fooled. Even if it tastes divine, and fluffy, and will feel like spoons from a cloud, they will get you fat. Mascarpone cheese is very rich in fat, and that will show on your body. So eat in moderation.


        Hope you liked today's recipe, and I hope it made you to want to go in the kitchen and try making it.

        Till next time.



                                                                                          Bon Appétit!    


American Cherry Pie





        Who doesn't like a deliciously red cherry pie that reminds you of summer, and everything summer represents. The warm sun, pool time, the abundance of fruits and vegetables. Such a feast.

        Well, I miss all of this, and because I still have to wait a good few months until summer will come, and bring all these things that I miss, I've decided to make a nice American Cherry Pie, so I can at least feel a bit of the summer taste.

         So, if you are ready, let's make the best Cherry Pie ever.


         You will need the followings:

         - 250 grams of all purpose flour - sifted
         - 100 grams of butter
         - 80 grams of lard (or margarine)
         - 100 ml water
         - 4 tablespoons of sugar
         - 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
         - 1 bag of frozen cherries (about 250 - 300 grams)
         - 1-2 tablespoons of semolina
         - 1 egg
         - sugar to sweeten the cherries


        Now that we know everything we need, the best way to do this, is to have all the ingredients prepared. Meaning, use small bowls in which you put the exact amount that you need from each ingredient. This way, you will have everything on hand, and you do not have to stop to sift the flour for example.

       Turn on your oven to preheat while you prepare the pie.

       Mix together the butter, lard (or margarine), water, sugar, cornstarch and the sifted flour. I keep repeating about the sifted flour just to make sure you don't forget that you have to do this.

       You can use the mixer adding to it the dough blades, or you can use your hand to combine everything together. The dough you get has to sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

       After the time passes, remove the dough out of the refrigerator, and divide it in 2 pieces, one bigger than the other. Start with the smaller ball of dough, and spread a sheet of 0.5 cm thickness, from which you will cut strips of 1 cm width.

       Spread a sheet from the bigger ball of dough, 0.5 cm thickness, and put it in a tray (it can be a tray for tart, or a removable cake pan, or anything you have or wish to use). Sprinkle the semolina over the entire surface, (the semolina will absorb the juice from the cherries, and this way there will be no risk for the dough to remain raw). Mix the cherries with sugar (I did not specify a certain quantity, because in this case it's all about the taste, some people like it sweeter, some like it less sweet) and put them on the fire until the juice thickens slightly. After it thickens, put them in the tray over the dough, and cover it up with the dough strips.

      The strips can be arranged as follows: put half of them horizontally, and the other half vertical on top of the ones you put before, or you can make a knitting pattern.

      Beat the egg and brush the strips with it, being careful not to get any egg on the filling, and then sprinkle some vanilla sugar over.

      Put the tray in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. You know that the pie is ready, when the dough turns golden and crunchy.


      Tips:

       - you can replace the frozen cherries with frozen sour cherries (in which case you will use more sugar), or any other fruit you want

       - or you can replace it with cherry jam (in which case you don't need to add sugar, as it already has enough, and you don't have to cook it on the stove neither, because it is already cooked, you just add it to the pie)

       - don't forget about the semolina



       Hope you liked today's recipe, and I hope it makes you crave it enough to try it. You won't regret it. I know that it looks like hard work, but it really isn't. You don't need to do the same pattern as I did, I had the time for it. Just do something easier which will take you less time.
       Kisses :*

                                                                                         Bon Appétit!