Wednesday 1 June 2016

Creamy - TIRAMISU - Kids Allowed (or not)



My first post HOERA! 






    When I lived in Venezuela, I was used to see many flavours and colours, that from my childhood adorned the family meals day by day. I know, I know, I get very intensive when remembering my home, but just to give an idea I will picture a little bit of what I mean. Venezuela is a tropical country surrounded by the Caribbean sea, in the extension of it you can find at least four types of clime all together but not messing up, beach, desert, alpes, flats and jungle, all in the same country. The rich gastronomy comes from two most
important factors, the weather and the colonial history that combine culture from Africa, Europe and Aboriginal residents. Yes, is a wonder, but that’s not the deal. By living in the central part of the country, the main influence is certainly the beach, from there that the main foods used and ate are bananas, coconuts, mangos, passion fruit, guayaba*, melon, water melon, cocoa, pineapple, and many more amazing flavours as delicious and colourful. This is only talking about fruits, it is very easy at home to say "I'm going to bake a pineapple cake", as pineapple at home is fresh and doesn’t come from across the sea. But, for example, if you ask for a dessert with kiwi, you are certainly in the wrong address. 






     Since I decided to learn more about cooking and baking I crashed against that wall a few times, because I didn’t go to any cooking school, instead of that I informed myself as much as I could by paying attention to any cooking television show, reading blogs online, reading books or asking my family. In the first two sources I found I was getting into other continents culture most of the times and sometimes a recipe so known in some Northern countries as a cranberry muffing couldn’t get done because in Venezuela there's not such a thing as cranberries, in my life I ever tried one. This fact, far away from let me down, gave me hope and extended my mind, that way a whole list of foods that I wanted to try around the world, started to get shape. By the first time I came to Europe I already got it very clear, there was a few things I couldn’t let behind, let's start with the famous cranberry, red and round, ever imagined that my first bite would be so sour, next please!! Passing by the sweet blue berries, memorable raspberries, elegant black truffles, but also to prosciutto and cherry tomatoes. Indeed, some preparations were adding to the list too, I was dreaming with some classics like a the taste of a piece of Marzipan, any dark chocolate Ganache dessert, a real Crème Brulee in Paris or real Tiramisu made, not in Italy yet, but yes with real Mascarpone cheese. 




      Many of this things could have been gotten at home somehow, but the price sometimes and the difficulties some others, stopped me from doing it. However I gave a try at home to everything I could, and then I was ready to take my first flight to Europe. Is incredible how things that I expend a whole life without paying any attention to, now basically came to my plate for some random reason, I mean, if I would have been looking for it I don’t thing it wouldn’t have been so easy, in the first week I already tries at least 95% of my list. It was a dream came truth, at home I had the most delicious variety of flavors and favors but this is something I waited for and a new experience that made me feel again like a kid, getting to know a new world, my first trip was completely a culinary adventure for me, it couldn’t have been more exiting. But there was something that didn’t go so much as I expected, my first Tiramisu. I have to say that, as a toddler of the European cook, I tried many things without knowing which flavor to expect, but anyhow in my mind there was certain idea from, don’t ask me where. 




     My experience so far was amazing but unfortunately when I ate this dessert I didn’t get even close to what I was looking for. It was a wedding, the catering company had a few options to choose from, of course I took a little bit from everything, as I was exploring the food mainly. Then the time for Tiramisu came, of course I didn’t have a clue but I knew by my online experiences that this was a very creamy cake combining cookies, coffee and mascarpone mainly. The disappointment was big when at the first bite I realize that this Tiramisu didn’t have any cookies! I freaked out, the cream was fluffy and light but the taste just wasn’t there, they named this dish it by the traditional name but it wasn’t the traditional dessert I wanted to eat. From this moment the search begun for a better one, one that would make up for all the compliments that I've always heard and if I had to make it myself, then it would have to be done. 




      Months passed by, and still didn’t try or even thing on it anymore, then one day in the market I saw up in the cheese fridge and there it was, face to face with me, Mascarpone cheese, ready to whip. As you must be imagining, I took it right away, now I only needed a good recipe. I looked everywhere, but as its known, Tiramisu is one of those recipes that you need to get from the right person, I know I disaccredit myself a little bit with this but if is an Italian grandma' who gives the recipe, much better! I still haven't try all the recipes I found that looked good for me, but finally after a lot of thinking I decided for this one, which I also modified a little bit according to my own instincts, it’s a very simple recipe to make and beside the Sabayon or Savaglione, is not going to make you struggle with any weird procedures. Beside of that, I can waranty the success of it, this Tiramisu will be, without place for dubts, one of the richiest, creamiests and most delicious desserts you will make, its declared! If you like it more the "adult" way, just add the Marsala wine to the coffee syrup, but I passed that step by the fact that my kitties (my daughters) also would be giving a bite to it soon or later. 



     In honor of all those years that my ingredients-to try list grew and grew, knowing the day I could taste all those wonderful things would finally come. Cheers! 




Creamy - TIRAMISU - Kids Allowed (or not) 

   
Coffee syrup

Ingredients:


1 cup Strong Coffee 

4 tbsp. Sugar 

30ml Brandi or Marsala wine (adults version) 



Procedure


Stir the coffee with the sugar while is still warm. 


If you want the adults version just add de Marsala and combine. 


Set aside to cool. 



Mascarpone Cream


Ingredients:


500 g Mascarpone 


250 g Whipping cream (cold) 


100 g Sugar 


4 Large Egg Yolks 


Half Vanilla Bean* 


Pinch of Salt



Procedure


Slice in two the half Vanilla bean and scratch the pulp from it, combine with the yolks with the salt and half of the sugar In a Bain Marie, start whipping immediately until the texture of the mix has changed and the colour looks more like a pallid yellow, approximately five minutes. 


In a bowl Whisk the cream with the other half of the sugar on medium hight speed, when the cream formed stiff picks add the mascarpone an keep whisking until is combined around one more minute. 


Combine the yolks mix with the Mascarpone and five it another whisk to be sure is homogeneous, don’t forget to scrap the sides a little bit. 



Assembling 

Extra:


1 package of Lady Fingers 

1 square glass or ceramic font or 5 round Crème Brulee dishes. 


Procedure


Dispose the fonts in line, add around 2 to 3 tablespoons to each one to cover the bottom. 


Submerge the lady fingers one by one in the coffee for a second and place them over the cream, until its covered. 


Pour the rest of the cream and scrap the top with a spatula to give it a flat level. 


Let it rest over night in the fridge. 


To serve, sift good quality cocoa onto all the surface of the Tiramisu. 


Enjoy! ;) 



Final Details

  • About the adults version, can change à volonté, if you like it more like a drunk cake, then add more Wine, its up to you! 
  • *If you don’t have Vanilla beans, don’t suffer! Just use 2 tsp. of Vanilla extract. 
  • Lady fingers can be replaced by a biscuit cutted in pieces. 


*Guayaba: is a fruit full of C vitamine which made in juice, accompanies almost every meal at home. 


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4 comments:

  1. I WANT IT....ITS LOOK LIKE YOU..... BEATIFUL ...PATY

    ReplyDelete
  2. Qué ricooo, comprar el mascarpone aquí es equivalente a vender un riñon o la cornea de un ojo, así que yo lo sustituyo por queso crema y ricota.

    Luce delicioso!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jejeje lo sé mejor que nadie!! por que crees aue nunca lo habia probado hasta que llegue a aqui ;) el queso crema y ricota suena super!

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