Ice Cream Ireland

I like to think I’m quite adventuresome in the kitchen. However, with certain foods I’m an absolute traditionalist, and tiramisù is one of them. Italian for “pick me up” or “pull me up,” there are some who say the dessert originated in Sienna and others who claim it’s a relatively recent invention from Treviso, near Venice. In any case, it’s the one dessert that so regularly disappoints me at restaurants that I have stopped ordering it unless I am absolutely certain they will do it right.

For me, tiramisù must have mascarpone, and it must have egg yolks (unlike Gordon Ramsey’s and Jamie Oliver’s versions – although from a catering standpoint I can understand why they don’t want the risks associated with raw eggs). I don’t want it with orange flavouring or variations of the alcohol (Marsala wine).

I guess you could say I want my tiramisù the way my grandmother used to serve it up at her house in the Ticino. I pressed her for a recipe shortly before she died, but she confessed that she didn’t actually make it herself and had brought it in on the sly each time we begged her for more. I never found out her source.

However, my partner Manuela, who is from Venice, recently managed to retrieve her mother’s tiramisù recipe. We made it at home last night, and it came out just about perfect in my eyes. Best of all, once you have the right ingredients, it’s quiet easy and quick to make. If you wish to try it, the recipe is below. I’ll call it Tiramisù della Mamma in honour of Manuela’s mother.

Please note that this recipe does contain raw egg yolks, so it’s not suitable for pregnant women, and I would suggest you use fresh, local organic or free range eggs from a source you trust.

Tiramisù della Mamma

Ingredients:

• 3 egg yolks
• 80 gm + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 250 g mascarpone (at room temperature)
• 250 ml cream
• 1 packet savoiardi (lady fingers)
• 75 ml + 1 teaspoon Marsala wine
• 125 ml fresh espresso (cooled to room temperature)
• Pure cocoa for dusting

What to do:

1. Beat 80 grams of the sugar and the egg yolks together.
2. Add the mascarpone and 1 teaspoon Marsala wine and mix until smooth.
3. Whip the cream until you have soft peaks.
4. Fold into the mascarpone/egg mixture.
5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar to the espresso and stir until dissolved.
6. Add the remaining Marsala wine and transfer to a shallow dish.
7. Dip the savoiardi (lady fingers) into the Marsala/espresso mixture for about 5 seconds.
8. Put a layer of the dipped savoiardi into a round bowl (traditional in the Veneto).
9. Add a layer of the mascarpone/cream custard.
10. Add another layer of of the savoiardi, then the remaining custard.
11. Coat the top with dusted cocoa.
12. Refrigerate for at least four hours and preferably over night.
13. Bring out at least half an hour before serving to so it’s not served at a chilled temperature.

Since Marsala wines and espressos vary so much in taste, it might take a bit of tinkering for you to get the balance right between the coffee and Marsala. It’s part of the fun!

Technorati tags: tiramisu, recipe, italian, dessert

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 One of the ingredients used in a lot of Japense desserts is kanten, also known as agar-agar. It’s a gelling agent made from seaweed, and not only is it flavourless and vegetarian (gelatine is derived from animal products), but it’s high in fibre, and contains 0 calories. In fact, it spurred a diet fad in Asia, known as the Kanten Diet. In Japan, we found it as jelly cubes in desserts such as Anmitsu, sometimes served with ice cream, or in traditional Japanese sweets.

I brought back a packet from Tokyo, and when I saw a beautiful-looking punnet of raspberries in the supermarket, I had to use it! Here’s what I did:

Kanten Cubes with fresh Raspberry

Ingredients:

• 4 gm kanten (agar-agar) powder. If you can only find the flakes, you’ll probably need to use more…
• 350ml water
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
• 1/2 a lemon
• About 12 fresh raspberries

What to do:

1. Put the water in a saucepan, and sprinkle over the kanten powder.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat.
4. Add the lemon juice.
5. Pour into a 6″ square container, and allow to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
6. It should have thinkened a bit by now, so put in the raspberries in neat rows, pushing them down so that they are covered by the liquid.
7. Cover and refridgerate.
8. To serve, remove from the container and cut into cubes.

PS. Agar-agar is most likely available at your local whole foods shop.

Technorati tags: kanten, recipe, raspberry, dessert, jelly

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 Irish strawberries are in season, and here’s a real crowd-pleaser for a garden party. I tried it out on some very willing friends this last weekend!

Mini Strawberry Meringues

Ingredients:

• 1 x Meringue reciepe
• 2 Punnets strawberries
• 227 ml cream

What to do:

1. Make the meringue recipe, and using a piping bag (or a plastic bag – cut a 1/2″ hole in the corner) pipe the meringues into mini nests about 2 inches in diameter. Bake as per recipe.
2. Whip the cream.
3. Once the meringues are cooked, allow to cool, then add a small dollop of cream to each meringue.
4. Hull the strawberries, and push them into the cream (cut the larger ones into halves or quarters).
5. Serve, and watch them disappear!

Makes about 40

Technorati tags: meringue, recipe, strawberry, dessert, baking

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

I think there is nothing more romantic than chocolate, so what better thing to make for your loved on than chocolate fondue? There is something so sensual and luxurious about melted chocolate over fruit and other tasty items, and the very act of dipping and sharing fondue makes it special.

As with all things chocolate, start with quality. Find a good, dark chocolate and there is little chance that the end product won’t be delicious.

I like a bit of Port in my chocolate fondue, especially when you’re dipping fruit. If you want even more of a kick, add an extra teaspoon!

Here’s my recipe…

Chocolate Fondue with Port

Ingredients:

200 g 70% Chocolate

200 ml Cream

2 teaspoons Port

What to do:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Warm the cream in a saucepan to a low simmer.
3. Remove from the heat and stir the cream into the chocolate in small parts, stirring all the time.
4. The chocolate will clump at first, then it should become smooth and glossy.
5. Stir in the Port.
6. Transfer to a fondue pot and enjoy!

My five favourite things to dip into chocolate fondue:

1. Strawberries
2. Bananas
3. Raspberries
4. Biscotti
5. Amaretti biscuits

I’m sure you can think of many other delicious things to dip!

Technorati tags: chocolate, Valentine, cough, fondue, recipe

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The idea for this this tasty dessert came originally from the New Basics Cookbook, but I have modified the recipe (for starters, it uses lemons, and the method and ingredients are different here). Anyway, it’s a light and fluffy dessert that always goes down a storm…

Warm Lime Meringue Mousse

Ingredients:

60g Butter
150ml Fresh Lime Juice
Zest of Two Limes (finely zested)
200g Sugar
5 Eggs

What to Do:

1. Put the 100g of the sugar along with the butter, lime zest, and lime juice in a saucepan and cook over low heat until all the ingredients are melted together. Allow to cool slightly.

2. Separate the eggs.

3. Beat the egg yolks into the lime/sugar/butter mixture.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (Do not let it boil, or you will have scrambled eggs with lime!). Remove from the heat.

5. Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the rest of the sugar and beat until they are stiff and glossy.

6. Fold half the egg whites into the lime custard, stirring gently until they are combined.

7. Pour into 6 ramekins.

8. Carefully spoon the rest of the egg whites to the half-full ramekins, so that the egg white is on top of the custard as a top layer.

9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden in colour.

10. Serve immediately!

This has gone to Helene at Tartelette as part of her HHDD mousse party…

Technorati tags: lime, meringue, mousse, custard, pudding, recipe

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 Tapioca makes a great pudding base, and it was a favourite in our household when I was growing up. It’s a simple dessert to prepare and great comfort food for the Winter. Since it has quite a neutral taste, almost anything can be added for flavouring.

Tapioca comes from the cassava root – a plant originating in Brazil but now common across Africa, South America and Asia as its root is nutritious and can be used for making many types of food. In these parts it comes in pearl or flour form (used as a gluten free alternative to wheat flour), and it’s the pearls I use.

Apparently, there is a thing called “bubble tea” that is all the rage in Taiwan and Asian communities around the world - it’s tea or fruit drinks served with tapioca balls mixed in. I must try that sometime, but I digress… All things must come back to chocolate, and since I did a black and white drink, why not a black and white dessert?

Try this for a simple and delicious end to a meal:

Cocoa Tapioca Recipe (served with vanilla ice cream)

100 gm tapioca Pearls
50 gm cocoa (pure, unsweetened)
50 gm sugar
700 ml milk

What to do:

1. Mix the cocoa and sugar together.

2. Add 100 ml of the milk in small parts, mixing until you have a smooth paste.

3. Transfer into a small saucepan, add the rest of the milk and tapioca, and heat over a low flame.

4. Stir continuously, keeping the pudding just below a simmer, until the pudding thickens and the pearls become clear (about 20 minutes).

5. Top with vanilla ice cream and serve!

Serves 4

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 Ok. I know that this will provoke a few traditionalists and perhaps bring back memories of those terrible chocolate noodles, but I decided to try a sweet risotto yesterday evening. After all, it’s not that different in concept from rice pudding. It turned out very dense but very tasty, so I added copious amounts of vanilla ice cream, and then it worked well as a dessert.

Here’s a recipe if you want to try it…

Black Currant and Chocolate Risotto

Ingredients:

100 gm Arborio rice
500 ml Black Currant Juice (I used an organic cordial mixed with water)
50 gm 70% chocolate, chopped

What to do:

1. Combine the rice and half the juice and cook in a saucepan over low heat, stirring all the time.
2. As the rice absorbs the liquid, add more juice, and continue stirring until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed (around 20 min)
3. Stir in the chocolate until it is completely melted.
4. Serve warm in small portions with generous amounts of vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4

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 One of my favourite desserts is zabaglione, a rich Italian custard, made with Marsala wine. It’s complex, not too sweet, and packs a nice alcohol punch. I’ve had a bad cold the past few days, but today I felt recovered enough to pull out the pans and treat myself.

Pear and Ginger Zabaglione

Ingredients:

2 poached pears (see here)

5 egg yolks

100 g sugar

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

200 ml dry Marsala wine

What to Do:

1. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until they turn pale yellow.

2. Add the Marsala wine, beating all the time.

3. Add the ginger.

4. Transfer to a double boiler (I used a metal bowl over a pan of water).

5. Continue whisking the mixture until the volume doubles and coats the back of a spoon.

6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

7. To serve, distribute the custard among 4 bowls and top with the poached pears.

Serves 4

Note: This dessert works well with many different fruits – strawberries, peaches, etc. Have fun and experiment.

Technorati tags: pear, ginger, zabaglione, dessert, recipe

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