Contest & Tiramisu

So I didn't win the dessert contest, but I did have a lot of fun making and serving my tiramisu, so I'd like to share my recipe! Here we go!

The recipe actually came from Emeril Live's Tiramisu Recipe, with just a couple of slight modifications.

Classic tiramisu consists of ladyfingers soaked in espresso and rum (or some other flavored liqueur) then layered with mascarpone cream. I chose to use sponge cake, which is fluffier and more likely to absorb the espresso and rum. However, the problem with using sponge cake is that you'll have a more difficult time with layering and setting the cream.

Making a tiramisu takes a lot of time and effort, but it will definitely be super rewarding, and of course your friends will love you a lot. So try it, and send me pictures! I would love to see them (and post them here)!

Ingredients:
Sponge Cake
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp butter
1+1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 egg
1+1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolk

Espresso Mixture
1/2 cup+2 tbsp espresso (or very strong, concentrated instant coffee. I've used Starbucks Via, Italian Roast)
1/2 cup+2 tbsp hot water
3 tbsp rum (or other flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier)

Mascarpone Cream
1 cup (8oz) Mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp rum (or other flavored liqueur such as Marsala wine)
3 eggs, separated
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
Cocoa powder
Powdered sugar

Preparation of the ingredients

Directions for the sponge cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper (use the butter to stick the paper to the bottom of the pan). Grease and lightly flour the parchment paper. Alternatively, if you wish to make a rectangular tiramisu, you can use a 9x13in baking pan.
3. Heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Keep the heat low so that the milky film won't form.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder.
5. Set the eggs, sugar, and egg yolks in a large bowl over a hot water bath. Whisk (using a mixer) on slow speed until the color becomes very light, and the volume of the mixture more than triples. This step is crucial for the sponge cake to rise. It may take a while, but please be patient. (See photo).
6. Remove the egg mixture from heat. Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7. Fold in the milk mixture.
8. Divide the batter between the two pans. Tilt the pan so that the batter runs all the way around the edge of the pan - this will ensure even rising.
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cake has risen. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, and the cake should spring back when pressed lightly. Cool on a wire rack.

Top: Texture, volume, and color of the egg mixture after it has been whisked over the water bath. Bottom: Sponge cakes.

Directions for the espresso mixture and mascarpone cream:
1. Combine the espresso, hot water, and 3 tbsp of rum, and set aside.
2. Combine the mascarpone cream and 2 tbsp of rum in a large bowl, and beat until smooth.
3. Combine the egg yolks and 3 tbsp of sugar, and beat until smooth. Set the egg yolk mixture over a hot water bath and beat until the mixture is light and foamy.
4. Remove the egg yolk mixture from heat, and without waiting, beat into the mascarpone mixture. Set aside.
5. Whip the heavy cream until it holds a firm shape.
6. Fold into the heavy cream the vanilla extract.
7. In two small additions, fold 1/2 of the mascarpone cream into the whipped cream.
8. Then, fold the whipped cream back into the mascarpone cream. This ensures even mixing. Set this aside.
9. Beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until light and foamy (soft peaks).
10. Add 3 tbsps of sugar, then beat on high speed until glossy, but not dry (hard peaks should form). This is basically the process of making meringue*.
11. Fold the egg whites, all at once, into the mascarpone cream mixture.

Top: Meringue. Bottom: Mascarpone cream before addition of meringue in large mixing bowl; meringue in small bowl.

Now, you are ready to assemble your tiramisu!

Directions for assembly:
1. Moisten one of the cakes with the espresso mixture.
2. Top the cake with half of the mascarpone cream, spreading it evenly.
3. Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar over the cream.
4. Top with the second cake. Moisten with the espresso mixture.
5. Top with the remaining mascarpone cream.
6. Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
7. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours before serving. (The cream needs to set.)

You may wish to decorate with additional elements such as chocolate curls, mini chocolate chips, etc. I would recommend decorating with all these things - and even sprinkling with cocoa powder - after the cream has set in the fridge.

Please enjoy!

The final product!

My First Contest

I'm entering a contest! The Duke Culinary Society is hosting a Dessert Expo on Monday, November 9th, and I will be one of the participants! I am super excited, and you should definitely come by and check it out :) More details & updates to come!

Goodberry's

I've heard about Goodberry's for a while from a dessert-lover (hehe), so I decided to stop by one day for a treat. They have three flavors each day: vanilla, chocolate, and a flavor of the day (ok, technically four if you count sugar-free vanilla).

Some background about frozen custard - it's a little different from ice cream in that it's made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar. It has less air than ice cream, so the overall texture is thick & creamy, and should be more smooth and soft in comparison with ice cream. It is served at a high temperature (-8 degrees C) than ice cream (-12 degrees C), which also contributes to the softer texture. (For more information on frozen custard, you can read the Wikipedia entry.)

Anyway, Goodberry's does a pretty good job with the soft and smooth consistency - I could definitely taste the difference. Also, they actually blend in the toppings you want into the custard (they call it the 'Carolina Concrete'), so you can get a pretty good mixture. I really enjoyed that.

Pictured below was my mini chocolate-hazelnut custard. It was delicious, and I'm very sad that the weather is getting colder - less frozen treats. It's rather unfortunate that they do not provide indoor seating, because I can't imagine business being good in the winter time...


Goodberry's
Price: $3.50 for a mini with one topping

Recipe: Chocolate-Chip Almond Cookies

I had a cookie craving the other night. But I didn't want to make a batch of chocolate-chip cookies again, so I rummaged around the fridge and found a bag of slivered almonds. Perfect! Chocolate chip and almond cookies.

Because almonds are quite oil-rich already, you don't need as much butter in this recipe as other cookie recipes. Also, I chose not to grind or chop the almonds (mainly because I don't have a food processor...) but the author of BakingBites chops the almonds in her recipe into fine pieces and uses almond extract, which will probably make the almond taste more even throughout the cookie.

The key of using almonds is to toast them – that will bring out their fragrance. It’s easy to toast them using a conventional oven; you can do it while preparing your cookie dough.

Toasting almonds:
Heat oven to 350F. Line a pan with baking sheet or aluminum foil, and spread almonds evenly. Bake for 20 minutes until almonds are browned at the edges. (P.S. Your kitchen will smell delicious.)

Chocolate-Chip Almond Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Directions:
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (no need to grease).

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until just combined. Stir in the vanilla. Finally, beat in the eggs, one at a time.

With the mixer on low speed, stir in the flour mixture in small additions, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure that the flour is incorporated into the dough.

Finally, stir in the almonds and chocolate chips until well combined.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons unto the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart from each other. (Rounded dough will ensure that your cookies will come out as almost perfect circles!)

Bake for 10-11 minutes at 350F, until browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Yields 3-4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Purely Decadent non-dairy frozen dessert

I don't know how many of you reading this are lactose intolerant, but if you are, and if you have ice cream cravings, go to Whole Foods and get yourself a pint of Purely Decadent frozen dessert. Seriously. It's amazing.

I didn't even like ice cream very much, but my mom bought me a pint of the turtle trails when I was home a couple of weeks ago, and this stuff is good.

Turtle trails is vanilla based with chocolate-covered pecans and caramel (my favorite). I've also tried the blueberry cheesecake, which has cheesecake crust pieces and dried blueberries. You should try every flavor and tell me which ones are the best. You should try it, even if you're not lactose intolerant.

Purely Decadent non-dairy frozen dessert, Turtle Trails flavored

(If you go on their website, you can print a coupon for $1 off, too!)

Recipe: Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are a delicious treat for the summertime (or anytime, I suppose) and almost all occasions. They consist of a buttery shortbread base, topped with a zesty lemon "filling". Here is a wonderful recipe, shared by Ann Prospero on her website, annprospero.net, with a couple of modifications.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients
For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup butter

For the filling:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
3/4 cup to 1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup whole milk (alternatives: half-and-half, light cream)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line of 13x9x2inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches of overhang (you will need to remove the foil from the baking pan later). Grease the foil.

2. Combine the 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt. If using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resmbles coarse crumbs. (If mixing by hand, melt the butter and stir the mixture.)

3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges turn golden.

4. In the meantime, prepare the filling: whisk together the eggs, sugar, the 3 tablespoons of flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk. Pour filling over the hot crust.

5. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the center is set (toothpick comes out clean). Remove from the oven and cool completely.

6. Remove from the pan by lifting the foil overhang. Cut into bars. Sift powdered sugar over the bars before serving.

When I made this, my pan wasn't large enough, so I had a bit of the crust and the filling left over. Therefore, I made...

Individual Lemon Tartlets


Exact same recipe as above, just served in ramekins. Also, reduce the baking time as needed since the portions are smaller. (I only baked 3 ramekins and halved the baking time.)

Good luck, and have fun!

Recipe: Jam Kolaches

Kolaches are a type of Polish cookies. The dough itself isn't sweetened, so all the sugar comes from the jam and the powdered sugar dustings on top. The cream cheese will give the kolaches a scone-like taste, whereas the butter will make them feel just a bit like a biscuit (or so claims my friend. I think the scone taste is more prevalent). All in all, I do believe this was a worthwhile first dessert recipe to add to this blog...

Jam Kolaches

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3oz (1 small package) cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of various jams

1/4 cup of sifted powdered sugar (or confectioner's sugar)

Directions

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Beat the butter and cream cheese in a bowl on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the flour in small amounts to the mixture, beating on low speed after each addition to ensure that the flour is well incorporated.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Using a pin, roll the dough into a circle of approximately 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch square or circle pieces. Spoon about 1/4 tsp of jam into the center of each piece. Fold opposite edges together, slightly overlapping the edges, and pinch the edges to make them stick together.

4. Place the kolaches 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F (190C) for about 15 minutes, until the bottom is slightly browned. The top will be be slightly golden.

5. Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Local Yogurt

Local Yogurt. I've read about this place on multiple blogs and heard about it from several friends, so I knew that I had to check it out.

They offer four flavors at a time: original and chocolate are always available, and during my first visit, the two "rotating" flavors were butter pecan and mango. I tried butter pecan with granola and snickers. The texture of the froyo was so smooth that I almost didn't believe it was frozen yogurt! I was pretty surprised, but I also enjoyed it a lot. Butter pecan was a very good flavor, especially with the granola, but I thought snickers made the entire mixture too sweet. I also tried some of my friend's mango, which also tasted good, but unfortunately it had a bit of the artificial fruit syrup flavor.

Left: Butter pecan with granola and snickers. Right: mango with strawberry and kiwi (ordered by my friend)

On my next visit, I tried the original yogurt flavor - and it was incredible! I was expecting it to taste like plain ol' yogurt, but its taste was very refined, and reminded me of Chinese plain yogurt (酸奶/優酪乳). It also wasn't as creamy as butter pecan, which I liked - after all, this is frozen yogurt. Combined with granola, it tasted just like a yogurt parfait. Next time, I'll have to add some fresh fruit with this combination (or try the chips topping...). This has definitely become the #1 dessert place in my book!

(Follow their Twitter page for updates on their flavor and local topping offerings!)

Store: Local Yogurt

$2.50 for petite (3oz) / $2.75 for small (5oz) / $3.75 for medium (8oz) / $4.50 for large (12oz)

$0.75 for first topping / $0.25 for add'l toppings

- Definitely give this a try if you like frozen desserts, or just desserts in general. You won't regret it.

Uli Mana Coconut Truffles

I was at Whole Foods the other day and passed by the chocolate aisle, so I couldn’t resist looking for chocolate truffles. I found these Uli Mana Coconut Truffles and decided to try some, mostly because there was a store clerk who told me quite convincingly that they were made by a local crafter and that they would be delicious. I’m up for anything local and hand-crafted, so I bought a jar.

Now, I should have looked at the ingredients before I bought them, because I do know the recipe for making truffles, and three of the main ingredients are chocolate (duh), heavy cream, and butter. Heat the cream, stir in the chocolate and some butter, then stir the mixture in a double-boiler until the chocolate completely melts. Wait for it to cool, then use a spoon to scoop out your – voila! – chocolate truffles. There are variations of this recipe if you want your truffles to be sweeter, nuttier, etc, but that’s the basic idea.

Well, if I had taken a closer look at the ingredients list of Uli Mana truffles, I would have noticed that nowhere does it list heavy cream as an ingredient. Which would explain why when I first bit into the chocolate, there was no feeling of rich, creamy goodness. It was actually rather bland – even the chocolate that was used wasn’t very high quality. The bitter chocolate was not rich at all, and the soft texture of the truffle probably came entirely from the butter. The heavy taste of the chocolate also covered the flavor of the coconut flakes. This truffle may contain some fancy stuff like agave powder or sea salt, but without plain ol’ heavy cream, it ain’t a truffle. I was sorely disappointed with them and will continue on my search for better chocolate truffles in Durham…


Ingredients List: Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Agave, Organic Coconut, Organic Vanilla Bean, Celtic Sea Salt

Store: Whole Foods
Uli Mana Coconut Truffles
$13.99 for 5.5oz (156g)
- Not worth it. If you're really craving truffles, even Lindt truffles would probably be a better option.