Tiramisu

Whenever we have something big happen in our house, I like to make a big, fancy meal to celebrate. Joel’s first day at his new job was on Monday so  I had consulted him about what he wanted for dinner (filet mignon, twice baked potatoes and caesar salad) but I wanted to surprise him with dessert. Tiramisu is one of his favorite desserts and something I have never made before so it totally killed two birds with one stone. He got a delicious treat and I got to fulfill my New Years resolution for the month. Plus, it’s also on my Top 100.

I also have to admit that I have never eaten tiramisu so I don’t have anything to compare this to (besides Joel’s opinion). I always looked at tiramisu as intimidating and scary but it truly was really simple to whip up. Plus, who doesn’t love a dessert that you have to make ahead of time. This girl totally does, especially when a fancy dinner is on the menu that requires precise timing.

I searched around for recipes and decided on one from Giada De Laurentiis because you can’t go wrong with her recipes, especially when it comes to Italian specialties. After reading some reviews, I decided to make a few slight changes then dove right in. The original recipe states to make this in a 13×9 pan but I decided to go with an 8×8 to make a denser, creamier tiramisu. I also used strong brewed coffee rather than espresso because that what I had and knew how to make.

I don’t like coffee so I always assumed I wouldn’t like tiramisu but I enjoyed the creaminess of the filling and the slight coffee flavor from the lady fingers. Joel thought it tasted pretty close to restaurant quality tiramisu, the only thing he would have changed is that it was a bit soggy. A bit of the coffee mixture pooled at the bottom of the pan too. I soaked the lady fingers for about 4-5 seconds so I think next time I will only do 2-3 seconds to decrease the soggyness of the tiramisu. Besides that though, it was pretty darn perfect. If you are looking for a simple dessert that will wow, you should definitely give this a try.

Tiramisu
recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

6 egg yolks*
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pound mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups strong espresso or coffee, cooled
2 teaspoons dark rum
24 packaged ladyfingers
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso/coffee and mix until thoroughly combined.

2. In a small shallow dish, add remaining espresso/coffee and rum. Dip each ladyfinger into espresso/coffee for only 3 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfinger on the bottom of a 8×8 inch baking dish, breaking them in half if necessary in order to fit the bottom.

3. Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining mascarpone mixture.

4. Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.

5. Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

*Raw Egg Warning: Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell. For recipes that call for eggs that are raw or undercooked when the dish is served, use shell eggs that have been treated to destroy salmonella, by pasteurization or another approved method.

Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

I’m bringing you another ice cream recipe today and this time it’s one of Joel’s favorites, Coffee Ice Cream. I am not a coffee drinker…I just can’t stand the taste of it but this ice cream, well, I can get on board with it. It has a subtle coffee flavor that is smooth and not overpowering. I made it for friends and they really enjoyed it too.

I decided to mix in some chocolate covered espresso beans to kick up the coffee flavor and add some texture. I wasn’t a huge fan of the beans and would have preferred chocolate chips but the coffee drinkers really enjoyed them.

I think I will try some kind of flavored coffee beans next time to see what kind of flavor they impart on the ice cream. If you want to go to bed after enjoying this ice cream, you might want to use decaffeinated coffee beans.

Coffee Ice Cream
recipe from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup whole coffee beans
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 oz. bag chocolate covered espresso beans, chopped (optional)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until they are thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the flour and salt. Set aside.

2. Combine the milk and coffee beans in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm for 20 minutes.

3. Remove the coffee beans with a skimmer or slotted spoon. Slowly beat the warm milk into the eggs and sugar. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot coffee custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

4. Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Five minutes before it’s completed, dump in the chopped espresso beans. When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.

New Orleans Food Tour {Part I}

We had a great time during our trip to New Orleans! I especially had a great time eating all the local grub! We didn’t get to eat as much Cajun food as we would have liked (because of the times of the games we had to eat at the dome a few times) but still managed to eat (and drink) quite a bit of unique fare that we couldn’t get around here. So here are our favorites….Joel thought that when we went on vacation he would escape the obsessive photo taking of our food but he was wrong. And embarrassed, which isn’t easy to do. If you ever travel to New Orleans, be sure to check out these eats!

Our first meal was at The Ruby Slipper which uses all local products from the sausage to dairy to bread. They also have a great story behind the name of the restaurant. The owners are big Wizard of Oz fans so when they came back to the city after Katrina they decided on this name because “there is no place like home.” They serve breakfast, lunch and brunch offerings with a New Orleans flair. Joel decided on the BBQ Shrimp and Grits while I had a Cheese Omelet with Breakfast Potatoes and a Biscuit. There other breakfast items sounded amazing (check out the pancakes and french toast options) but I just wasn’t in the mood for sweet and they all came with meat which I was trying my hardest to avoid.

The omelet was good but the breakfast potatoes and biscuit definitely stole the show. The potatoes were so brown and crispy while the biscuit had a crunchy bottom (in a good way) and soft, moist middle. {The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans – downtown and midtown}

The BBQ Shrimp had an amazing, spicy Cajun rub that was great on the shrimp. I can’t be a judge on the grits because well, I hate grits. I tried them because I haven’t had them in awhile and thought maybe I wouldn’t mind them but the hate remains. Joel enjoyed them though and they looked yummy. {The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans – downtown and midtown}

We stayed about 45 minutes outside the city in Picayune, MS and when we were driving in the first night, I spotted this little place and my heart skipped a beat. When we walked inside I just about died because it was even better than my wildest dreams!

They displayed case after case of pretty much any Southern (or any other region for that matter) pastry you could imagine. Needless to say, it was extremely difficult to make a selection…so we went a second time in order to get the full effect. I didn’t get any pictures inside the shop because Joel looked like he just might die if I pulled out the camera.


Joel indulged in his first ever eclair and it was pretty heavenly to say the least. He tried to compare it to a Long John and thought the doughnut version was better but let’s be honest…he is crazy and doesn’t know what he is talking about. The pastry was light and airy, the filling creamy and the chocolate rich. Yum! {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

I had my first cannoli and it was divine! It has definitely moved to the top of my “to make” list. The shell was sweet and crispy, the filling was light, fluffy and slightly sweetened and the chocolate chips added that extra richness. Oh, I’m still dreaming about it! {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

On our last day we stopped by one last time for a cream puff, mounds macaroon and little key lime cookies. The cookies were tart and melted in your mouth. The macaroon was sweet, dense and rich…everything it should be. And the cream puff was just as heavenly as the eclair. I actually enjoyed it more since I am not a huge fan of chocolate. If you are EVER in the area, you have to stop by and try one of everything! You won’t be disappointed. {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

Another favorite spot we visited was L.A. Pines Cafe in Slidell, LA. We were there for our swamp tour and had seen this little place featured on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives so it was on our list of places to try. Their specialty is the Smoked Prime Rib Sandwich. It consists of delicious French bread slathered with horseradish sauce and topped with an enormous amount of smoked prime rib, caramelized onions and melted cheese. They had a lot of business that day due to all the people in town so they were running short on the prime rib and I managed to snatch up the last one. Score! It was the first Sunday I cheated during Lent and it was so worth it. I don’t normally cheat on Sundays but I made an exception since we were on vacation. The prime rib was so incredibly tender and paired so well with the horseradish sauce (which I normally don’t like and almost asked for the sandwich without it). The bottom half of the roll is dunked in au jus…need I say more? {L.A. Pines Cafe – Slidell, LA}