Tiramisu

A couple of weeks ago, I made tiramisu for a very special occasion.  Not only did I recently celebrate a big birthday, my brother - who's ten years old than I am - marked a milestone birthday of his own!

About a week before my brother's big birthday, my sister in law planned a family gathering to celebrate not only his birthday but ones for two of my nephews (late August and early early September is a busy time!).  There was champagne and nibbles, ice cream cake for the kids, and we planned to go out to dinner.  I wanted to contribute a little something to the at-home festivities and I knew it would be tiramisu.

My brother orders tiramisu for dessert almost every time we go out.  It might well be that we tend to go to an Italian restaurant when my siblings and I go out to dinner together but all the same, tiramisu is just a favorite dessert of his (and my husband, too; it seems to be a "guy" thing). Before this, I'd made individual tiramisu but I'd never done the traditional classic version in a larger serving pan.

I was a little nervous about this.  Making something you haven't really made before for a special occasion - even when it's just family who wouldn't mind if things aren't exactly stellar - is a bit daunting.  This is the time when you do some homework, cross your fingers, and get to work.

Making this tiramisu wasn't without some minor hitches but all was well.  My tiramisu, with amaretto as the liqueur of choice, turned out just fine.  I'm told it was quite tasty, actually.  I have to say I enjoyed what I tasted very much even though I'm no expert.  The important thing is that the birthday boy said it was as good as any restaurant's, and I have to be satisfied with high praise like that!

The tiramisu I turned out is a compilation of a few recipes, leaning heavily on David Lebovitz's recipe I used previously for the individually portioned ones.  It uses egg yolks as well as egg whites (as opposed to heavy cream), which I think makes for a lighter texture and flavor.  We don't personally have issues with using raw eggs but you have to decide on your comfort level in that regard.

It's no wonder so many people love tiramisu.  It's rich and creamy, yet so light.  The coffee flavor, as well as amaretto liqueur in my case, gives it just the right kick.  

Photos of the sliced tiramisu above are actually from the second tiramisu I made.  My husband angled for his own "personal pan" and I was happy to oblige.

Chocolate-amaretto crème brûlée

It's a crème brûlée encore today.  Given the chocoholic that I am, how could I not make a chocolate version.  In fact, any time I make or eat a non-chocolate dessert, some part of me is wondering if there is or could be a chocolate version of it.  That is just how I was programmed.  

Before I even got my little kitchen blow torch for Christmas, I saw and pulled out a lightened-up milk chocolate crème brûlée recipe from Cooking Light that I wanted to try.  I was a little presumptuous, I admit, in expecting Santa to bring me that torch.  

Now with blow torch in hand, I looked at that recipe and decided to change it up.  I did away with the milk chocolate and went with dark.  My heart wanted dark chocolate despite the rationalization that the sweeter milk chocolate would probably work better in a "lightened" version using milk instead of cream for the custard.  Not only that, milk chocolate melts better with liquid than dark chocolate, which tends to be stubborn.  But regardless, I generally prefer dark chocolate these days.

I did stick with using milk (instead of cream or half and half) for this chocolate custard.  You just need to be a little patient in the melting process.  I also kept the amaretto in the recipe.  That was an element that really appealed to me because my husband and I love a good splash of amaretto in our desserts.  

This is kind of like a bruleed pot de crème, except there's no "crème".  But even without cream, it's certainly creamy and what you might give up in richness, you make up for with more pronounced chocolate flavor.  Using milk in the custard leaves you with a clearer taste of that underlying chocolate, and the touch of amaretto liqueur.  It's kind of like gelato versus ice cream.

I called on my handy stash of pistachios to break up the visual monotony of all the darkness (chopped almonds would be a great choice, too) but taste-wise, I am all for full-on deep chocolate flavor.  This chocolate-amaretto crème brûlée is a real treat but it didn't leave us feeling weighed down.  This is the magic of cooking/baking at home and being able to tweak a few things here and there to your own liking.  My recipe makes two and I say this qualifies as a very romantic dessert for Valentine's Day if chocolate is your thing.  I hope it is.

Chocolate-amaretto gelato

Despite the crazy, we-thought-it-would-never-end, winter we just lived through, I'm amazed to realize I pulled out the ice cream maker and made my fair share of ice cream during those months.  I guess we needed comfort food of all kinds to get through all that snow (plus, there was plenty of time on our hands at home, indoors)!  Now that it's warming up and ice cream season is really kicking into high gear, I took it upon myself to make this flavor I've been hankering for...

I made chocolate-amaretto gelato.  I use the term "gelato" loosely since, unlike actual gelaterias which churn their gelato slowly to incorporate less air, our homemade version is churned in a standard home ice cream maker.  I adapted the recipe from the Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and it does contain a higher milk to cream ratio, something I like about gelato because not only is it a bit lighter, it seems to let the base flavor shine more.

You might know my profile by now: crazy chocolate fanatic and lover of almond-flavored things.  So chocolate and amaretto is a combination I love.  This gelato makes me think of an affogato.   Ever since I started making it last summer (it was a revelation!), it's become a go-to dessert for my husband and I.  And after trying a few combinations (different ice creams flavors and liqueurs), the version with homemade chocolate gelato and amaretto is my very favorite. This gelato is a close mimic of that if you want to skip the hot espresso.  But I can tell you we did used it for affogato and it is terrific drowned in hot espresso and an extra splash of amaretto as well!

I've had a bag of amaretti cookies in the pantry waiting for this gelato to happen.  I thought it would be great to go alongside, to echo the almond flavor and add some always-welcomed crunch.  I went with store-bought though I've attempted a homemade version once before.  I thought I'd go for not only ease but the authentic depth of flavor and intense crunch you get from the "real" kind.  Did you know that amaretti cookies are made with apricot kernels?!  I don't know much about apricot kernels but they sure do help make some intense amaretti cookies.  (Incidentally, David Lebovitz has a recipe for apricot kernel ice cream in his new book.  You hack away at the pit of an apricot and the kernels are hidden inside!) 

I really wanted to post this particular gelato because it's one of those flavor combinations that define what I love.  This gelato or ice cream is smooth and chocolaty and the amaretto liqueur adds an almond flavor, with a zing, that does not go unnoticed.  It's pretty wonderful.  

Affogato with chocolate gelato (and amaretto)

When I made this affogato the other day, it was late afternoon after a fairly long, hot, and busy day. I was tired but wanted to put one together so I could take a few clicks while it was bright out. Well...let me just tell you that I dug my spoon in, took one bite, and the world was right again.  I think I felt the earth shift back into place like a puzzle piece slotted into its proper home.

Maybe it was just the caffeine-sugar-chocolate-slightly boozy hit that I needed that late afternoon but I put the camera down and just sat back and enjoyed my first affogato - which translates into "drowned" in Italian.  It is simply gelato (or ice cream) topped with a shot of espresso.    

I highly recommend adding a splash or two of liqueur.  I'm not automatically one for alcohol in my desserts but the amaretto liqueur I went with works really well here.  The combination of rich chocolate gelato with the almond flavor of the amaretto, together with the hot espresso and teeny bit of fresh whipped cream created a little bit of magic in a glass.

I asked myself: How have I not only never made, but never had, this before?!

The marvelous thing is this is very easy to make.  I used homemade chocolate gelato, a wonderful recipe I blogged about here but you (and I) could certainly use store-bought gelato or ice cream, and any flavor at that.  For me, chocolate reigns supreme and we all know how wonderful the combination of chocolate and coffee is!

Once your gelato/ice cream is in place, all you need to do is pour a shot of hot espresso over it.  To make my espresso, I simply used espresso powder, which I always have in my pantry for baking. I'm no coffee connoisseur and while I realize that a true espresso with that coveted crema on top would make a far better affogato, taking this necessary shortcut more than sufficed (in fact, was excellent) for me.  Espresso is normally way too strong for me to drink straight-up but in this dessert, it's a whole other happy story.

Next, I added a healthy splash of amaretto liqueur and topped the affogato with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.  If you have any biscotti, ladyfingers, or amaretti cookies lying around the house, this is a great place to serve one alongside.  

Everything melds together - it's cold, it's warm, it's smooth and soothing.  It's sweet yet a little bitter.  It is a wonderful grown-up dessert.  As you can probably tell by now, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.  I love a happy discovery!  My husband agreed with my assessment; when I made him his first one that night, his only complaint was that his portion was "too small"! 

I waited too long to have my first affogato but now that I'm in on the secret, I'm quickly making up for lost time.  Better late than never!

Individual tiramisu

This is another first for me: tiramisu.  It's one of my husband's favorite desserts - the one he's likely to order by default at an Italian restaurant unless something really outstanding catches his eye.  I'm actually not a big fan of it (other pure chocolate options call out to me way more) but I've always wanted to make it since he enjoys it so much. 

I want to jump right ahead and tell you these turned out great!  It was a relief since I was nervous about it.  My husband actually said it's the best he's ever tasted (granted, he's biased) and I also thought it was really good (and I'd tell you if I thought otherwise).  The tiramisu was pretty much everything we wanted it to be: creamy, fluffy, and light, with plenty of moisture, coffee flavor, and a noticeable hit of booze (in the form of amaretto, in my case) embedded into those ladyfingers, which magically transform from hard cookies into moist cake.  I admire the wizardry of the Italians more and more everyday! 

I'll be making these again for sure but to give you a little back story, the idea of making tiramisu always seemed a little daunting to me - the espresso, the liqueur, the eggs, the dipping, the layering, etc.  And I'm used to tiramisu in a big pan and I couldn't very well make a "regular" portion and expect or want my husband to polish off the majority of it himself.  But I was encouraged by a recipe I found in Cooking for Two from America's Test Kitchen that reduced the portion and made it sound do-able.

But you know how it goes sometimes...you start off with one idea or recipe, then you look somewhere else and something there appeals to you.  Long story short, I ended up essentially going with David Lebovitz's recipe, with a few tweaks, and making individual portions (instead of using a teeny 3-cup baking dish as per the Test Kitchen recipe). 

I liked David's somewhat more-traditional recipe incorporating egg whites instead of heavy cream.  This is where I should inject the usual warnings about consuming raw eggs.  There was raw yolks in both recipes so I figured I might as well go with the whites and stay closer to tradition, and hopefully get a lighter product, in the process.  David also tucks a little grated chocolate on top of each layer of creamy filling and that sounded like an excellent idea to me!

Since we don't make or drink espresso at home, I kept things simple by using making a brew using instant espresso powder, which I use often in baking.  And instead of the more typical dark rum, I used Amaretto since that's what I already had in the house.  I think it all worked out beautifully.  I made 5 individual portions with this recipe but two of the three are smaller, with two layers of ladyfingers and mascarpone cream as opposed to three.  When I was making this in the little glasses, I realized I was assembling a trifle - I never thought of tiramisu that way before.

Some family members stopped by to taste-test with us.  Glasses were emptied quickly and I was glad I tucked the last one in the fridge so that my husband could have an extra.  And tiramisu sits really well in the fridge and is a great make-ahead.  The ladyfingers soften, the filling mellows, and the flavors meld together.  Just add some cocoa powder and/or chocolate shavings right before serving.  I took the opportunity to take out my chocolate molds (an impulse buy from the craft store I knew I'd eventually be able to justify) and embellished the desserts with even more chocolate.  Chocolate and coffee just go together.