Dessert For Breakfast - Tiramisu Pancakes

Tiramisu winds up on the table at every holiday gathering with family.  Everyone from my sweet-tooth-lacking husband to my doesn't-like-to-try-anything-new grandmother loves it, and who couldn't?  What's not to love - rum and coffee saturated spongy cookie layers dressed up with a lightly sweetened froth of marscapone and whipped cream.

Our favorite treat turned up again on Valentine's Day.  Of course, I never look at the recipe before I go shopping (that would be too organized and just not my style) - so I've had an extra container of marscapone ever since.  It was nearing its expiration date and not wanting it to languish in the fridge, I was searching for a worthy use.  Apparently I was not alone in this quest, because the Ivory Hut had just posted these pancakes as a solution to the same quandary set forth by Jaden of the Steamy Kitchen.

Obviously this was a temptation I could not resist.  And believe me, I'm so glad I didn't.  Here's my version - buffed up with more marscapone and a hint of the rum that I find so essential to a good tiramisu.

Tiramisu Pancakes

Makes about 18 pancakes.

Marscapone Cream
8 oz marscapone cheese at room temperature
1 1/4 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp dark rum - use the best stuff - I like Meyer's dark
2 Tbsp grade B (dark amber) maple syrup
1 Tbsp espresso powder

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed until medium peaks form.  Put in the fridge to chill until the pancakes are ready.

Mocha Pancakes
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 Tbsp espresso powder
4 Tbsp melted and cooled unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp chocolate extract (optional - you can substitute another of vanilla or some rum)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp best-quality cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, sour cream and espresso powder until smooth and slightly frothy.  Whisk in butter, eggs and extracts and beat until well combined.

Place a large mesh strainer/sifter over the mixing bowl.  To this add all of the dry ingredients.  Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Mix these together with a whisk for about 6 stirs, then switch to a rubber spatula, stirring only until there are no more large lumps of flour.  The batter will still be slightly lumpy.

Let the batter sit as you preheat a griddle or nonstick pan with a little butter in it.  I like to start a griddle off on medium-high heat, gradually reducing the heat to medium for the first batch and down to medium-low once that gets too hot.

Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto the preheated griddle.  Cook until the top is a mosaic of bubbles and the underside is golden brown, then flip and cook another couple of minutes.  Serve immediately or keep warm on a rack set into a sheet pan in a very low oven (the lowest yours will go).

To serve, layer with marscapone cream and dust with confectioners sugar, cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

How bout Choux?

Contest alert! Please check out fellow Daring Baker Amber from Of Chocolate and Mangoes! She was the winner of my pay it forward contest and now she's giving away her own prize pack. Leave a comment on this post of hers to enter to win!

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the Daring Baker's August challenge. It's not that I don't love eclairs, it's just that it's one of the first recipes I ever mastered, way back in high school. So while these were tasty, they weren't challenging, and I love DBs because they usually make me stretch my boundaries. I was glad not to make another cake, but in the end, the pile of dishes in my sink wasn't really worth it. However, the happy smiles on fellow teachers faces on our stressful first day of classes was rewarding!

Here, dark chocolate pairs with fragrant mandarin orange cradled in a light eggy choux. These are so rich that you'll want to make minis, and if you're like me, you'll prefer them without the chocolate glaze, which I think is a little too over-the-top chocolately with everything else. You'll notice I've made some changes to the techinques in the recipe, since there's really no need to overcomplicate things as much as Pierre Hermes has. For the original recipe, see our gracious hosts, Meeta and Tony.

Chocolate Orange Mini-Éclairs


Pâte À Choux

1 cup 1% milk
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature

In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil.

Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough
will be very soft and smooth.

Continue stirring by hand (Use those muscles!), but remove from the heat. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough. You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, that's OK. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and still warm. Empty into a piping bag or ziploc bag with a hole in one corner.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe 1 inch thick lines across the paper in rows (these can be close together - try to fit them all on one sheet. Place in the freezer until mostly frozen. Use a pizza cutter to cut small éclairs, about 3 1/2 inches long. Separate éclairs onto the two baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake immediately!

To bake: Arrange oven racks to divide the oven in thirds. Place a sheet on each rack. Spritz the sides of the oven with water. Bake with the door closed 7 minutes, then mist the walls again and prop it open with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. Rotate pans and change their shelves and bake for another 8 minutes with the door propped open, until golden and firm. Don't expect them to really puff up, these are traditional French éclairs, which are relatively flat.

When you remove these from the oven, immediately use a skewer to make a 1/2 inch hole in each side, allowing access to the hollow interior and preventing steam from building up inside and making them soggy. Let cool on a baking rack.


Chocolate Orange Pastry Cream

3/4 cups 1 % milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
finely grated zest of one mandarin orange
3.5 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate (I like Scharrfen Berger 70%)
1 1/4 Tbsp unsalted butter

Combine all ingredients except butter in the top of a double boiler over an inch of water in the bottom pot. As the water in the bottom comes to a boil, stir the rest of the ingredients, allowing them to simmer and thicken. After about 2 minutes of simmering, remove to an ice bath.

When the temperature of the pastry cream has dropped to 140 F, stir in the butter in four additions. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

1/3 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp butter

Melt all glaze ingredients together in a double boiler. Let cool until almost room temperature.

Assembly:

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small tip with pastry cream. Insert tip into the hole on one side of the éclair, opening the éclair up as much as possible, and squeeze to fill the cavity. Repeat on the other side. Repeat for all éclairs. Use an icing spatula to spread éclairs with lukewarm ganache. Serve within 24 hours.



What to do with the remaining choux and ganache? Make profiteroles with homemade ice cream!

Tiramisu Profiteroles


For each:
one cream puff shell, sliced open at the top
2 Tbsp tiramisu ice cream
1 Tbsp melted ganache

Stuff each cream puff shell with ice cream. Drizzle with ganache. Impress guests with your magical abilities! :)

Cream of the Crop

So I may have a penchant for heavy cream. Is that such a bad thing? OK so maybe it is- but it's so good. These are not dishes you should necessarily have every day. But they are lovely treats, and let's face it - summer produce just longs to be dressed in cream. This was an easy and delicious supper, and is equally delicious hot or cold.

Lemon Cream Bowties with Shrimp


1 tsp olive oil
1/2 large red onion, sliced
3 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
zest and juice of 2 lemons
2/3 lb. small shrimp
1 cup frozen sweet peas
kernals of one cob of sweet corn
1 lb. cooked al dente mini farfalle (Barilla now makes Piccolini -tiny- pasta, perfect for pasta salads)
4 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 roasted red peppers, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 large scallions, sliced thin
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped fine
2 Tbsp basil chiffonade

Saute onion in olive oil over medium high heat until slightly softened. Add garlic and saute until it starts to brown. Add cream, then lemon zest and juice. Bring to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes or until thickened. Add shrimp and peas, bring back to a simmer and add corn. Cook until shrimp starts to turn pink. Mix in other ingredients. Cook over medium low heat until pasta absorbs some of the sauce. Serve warm or chilled.





A tiramisu-like custard goes so well with sweet grilled peaches. The perfect summer dessert, this takes next to no time to make. You will only need about a cup and a half of the zabaglione at most - stay tuned to find out what to do with the rest!

Grilled Peach Tiramisu Parfaits



Mascarpone Zabaglione
8 oz mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder
2/3 cup sugar, divided
5 egg yolks
2 Tbsp marsala wine
1 Tbsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp chocolate extract (optional - could sub chocolate liquor)

Combine cheese, cream, milk, salt, espresso powder and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally as mixture heats up. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining sugar and egg in a small bowl until it drops from the whisk in a ribbon. Once cream mixture starts to steam, ladle some into the egg mixture while whisking away furiously. This should temper the eggs. While whisking, add the egg mixture into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer (keep whisking!) until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Bring to room temperature, then chill at least 2 hours.

3 white donut peaches, split down the middle along their length and pit removed (so that they are truely donut shaped)

1 Tbsp Godiva chocolate liquor
1 Tbsp amaretto
1 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp sugar
1/8 cup water
6 crisp Italian ladyfingers

Preheat a grill on high (make sure it was well cleaned with a wire brush!). Brush peaches with melted butter. Grill peaches briefly on each side.

Mix liquors, espresso powder, sugar and water together in a shallow dish. Break each ladyfinger in half. Briefly soak one full (2 halves) ladyfinger in liquor mixture, then place in the bottom of a parfait glass and cover with zabaglione. Add a peach half. Repeat with 2 more layers. (Makes 2)

Olio e Aceto... [or] Making Good Use of Foodie Gifts

I was lucky enough to win two contests this month (Hey - why the heck didn't I buy a lottery ticket?!?!). When they both arrived on the same day, I was as excited as a kid the night before going to Disneyland.

Presents are always fun, packages make them even better, and when they both come from foodies with phenomenal taste, they are the best! One of the contests was Coconut & Lime's Blogiversary contest, which I created my Thai Coconut Ice Cream with Mango Lime Swirl for. The other was Aapplemint's Paying It Forward giveaway, for which I did nothing (yet), and consequently, I feel very guilty about receiving such a bounty of treats (which you'll be hearing more about). I will, of course, be paying it forward quite soon, so stay tuned if you'd love some of my favorite goodies!



Rachel from Coconut & Lime really went all out. Her fabulous basket included treats like chocolate mochi, cola gummies, glacier fruits, japanese raspberry drops and litchi candies. The sweet was in perfect balance with the savory, which included a bounty of local McCormick seasonings, including Cinnamon Chipotle (yum!), Pork, Salmon and Seafood Rubs; Montreal Chicken and Steak seasonings; Baja Citrus, Garlic, Wine and Herb, Peppercorn Garlic, Zesty Herb and Tomato, Garlic & Basil marinade packets. She added some rich flavors with Pecan and Hazelnut extracts, and topped it off with some lime hued shot glasses (perfect for prep), a silicone basting brush and a cute white and green pot holder (how did she know I always destroy mine?). She even snuck in some white chocolate peanut butter, leading me to believe she must have noticed my tendency to fall for that creamy rich combo.



The spice mixes kind of caught my attention mostly because I don't ever buy these pre-mixed spices, so I was curious. Plus I drive by their international headquarters in Hunt Valley daily, and the tantalizing aromas make my mouth water. So tonight the theme was spice blends and two of my other favorite seasonings, Olio et Aceto. Oil and vinegar come in so many varieties that endless combinations are possible (and I get to play!)! So here's a taste!





Tomato Basil and Garlic Grilled Chicken



1/4 cup good red wine (I used a Paso Robles Cabernet)
1 Tbsp porcini oil (I didn't have basil or garlic oil - but they would be equally delicious)
1/4 cup minus 1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chianti vinegar
1 packet McCormick Garlic Tomato Basil marinade
2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs with skin

In a liquid measuring cup, measure out wine. Add porcini oil, then add olive oil up to the 1/2 cup line. Combine with vinegar and seasoning packet. Pour over chicken thighs and toss to coat. Let sit at least one hour.



Sidenote: One of my favorite tricks is to freeze meat in a marinade. That way, as it thaws it takes on flavor and you don't have to worry about starting dinner an hour earlier than usual.


Preheat your grill (sorry folks - I use gas for convenience - otherwise I'd never grill) with all burners on high. After scouring the racks and brushing them lightly with oil, turn the middle burner off and immediately place the chicken over it on the grill (most of the cooking will be done through indirect grilling. Turn the side burners to medium and close the lid. Cook for 8 minutes. Baste with extra marinade and flip over. Cover and cook for another 8 minutes. Baste and turn over, this time directly over the burners. Watch out for flare ups and remove from heat if necessary. After 2 minutes, baste, flip and repeat with the other side. This will slightly char the surface and crisp the skin. Let rest for 5 minutes before eating.


Hungarian Brown Rice Medley



I am 25% Hungarian, and although I'm sure this is not a traditional recipe, it reminded me of my roots and was hauntingly good due to copious amounts of smoked paprika.

2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp porcini mushroom oil
2 Tbsp McCormick's Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1 1/2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup brown rice (I love Trader Joes brown rice medley for this)
1 Tbsp chianti vinegar or a hot pepper vinegar

Bring stock to a boil. Stir in other ingredients, except for vinegar. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Top with salsa. Recipe follows.



Toasted Corn & Tomato Salsa with Bacon



Because everything's better with bacon!

This isn't salsa in the way most Americans think of salsa. Salsa literally means sauce, and this is a chunky summery mix that has enough of a liquid component to form a type of sauce. Many of you will probably shriek at me using tomatoes, as every person I've talked to in the last month has. All I have to say is use some common sense people! Buy your produce locally (right now that means greenhouse tomatoes) and wash it well and you won't get Salmonella! And please stop freaking out! It's a flipping tomato for god's sake!


1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 Tbsp chile oil
2 1/2 cups frozen corn
3 very ripe Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1 Tbsp raspberry vinegar (my grammie makes this from her garden for me)
1 Tbsp orange muscat vinegar (or other intriguingly flavored fruit vinegar)
1 packed Tbsp basil leaves, chiffonade
3 slices center cut bacon

In a heavy bottom, high heat safe skillet, heat the oil over high. Add corn and stir occasionally until most are golden and many are starting to blacken. Remove from heat and toss with tomatoes, seasoning, vinegars and basil. Let sit.

Line a microwave safe dish with 3 paper towels. Place bacon on top. Top with 2 more paper towels. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Wala...perfect crispy bacon. Crumble this on top of the salsa right before serving.








Dessert is a preview of some of my Indian treats. The little candied fennel seeds are so nostalgic to me, and I have always loved them with yogurt, another Indian staple. This is great on its own, or as a dip for fruit. The seeds aid digestion (as do the probiotics in yogurt, come to think of it).



Vanilla Cardamom Yogurt with Candied Fennel Seed

2 cups lowfat organic yogurt
1/4 tsp vanilla paste (or 1/5 seeds of a vanilla bean)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp freshly ground green cardamom
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp candy coated fennel seeds

Blend first 5 ingredients together well. Sprinkle with seeds. Enjoy the simplest, and perhaps healthiest, dessert of your life.