Vanilla and Chocolate Tiramisu, or My Sister's Favorite Dessert

     Well, we are almost another circle around the sun.  How time flies.  This holiday season was a busy one, but actually not too onerous.  It was broken into pieces with a trip to Alaska to visit my sister, where we literally had a 5 day house party with multi course meals each night and a revolving guest list.  Dinners included fondue (cheese and a round robin of different breeds of deer---yes, we did head to head comparison), crab feed and a venison roast.  There was homemade bread and 100 year old sourdough pancakes.   But that was Thanksgiving and oh so long ago.
     Here we are at Boxing Day, and as a reprieve, Bryce and I drove to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and looked for birds.  There were many.  And it was peaceful and quiet.   The sun peeked through and I was grateful for hat and mittens.  That sort of experience balances the hectic.
Yesterday was another meal punctuated by several great items--king salmon, crab cakes, and single malt whisky from Nova Scotia.  But the commentary around the dessert made a post necessary, as there were requests for the recipe.  It was only then that I realized this was my sister's absolute favorite dessert.  Who knew?
     I know this harkens back to the 90's, and I know there are plenty of versions of it.  Some not so great. I wanted to channel the idea from a Tiramisu cake from our local Bakery Nouveau, which is has layers of chocolate sponge between coffee buttercream.  But I didn't want a chocolate bomb.  My vision was alternating layers of vanilla and chocolate sponge.  And then I wanted a billowy layer of dairy/cream---what exactly is that layer called?  It's not exactly a custard, nor whipped cream, oh who knows.  I also didn't want a coffee bomb, and I wanted to taste the rum.   I didn't want a huge 9 x 13 pan of this stuff as it seems.....less formal and a bit overwhelming.  This was Christmas dinner after all and I wanted a bit of a celebratory dessert.  Indulgent but not over the top.  So I went with an idea from Smitten Kitchen for individual puddings, layered in glasses.  But no recipe really satisfied me completely.  It ended up being a riff from multiple sources to create this.  There are multiple steps here, but they can be broken up, done ahead and assembled altogether up to 24 hours in advance.  So, busy, but not too onerous.  Just like the season.

Individual Vanilla and Chocolate Tiramisu

serves 8-10, depending on size of container

Chocolate Sponge (I used this one)

Vanilla Sponge ( Here is one, but I used the Hot Water Sponge Cake from Richard Sax) (see notes)

2 c. coffee

6 T Rum (divided)

4 egg yolks

1/2 c sugar

1/4 t kosher salt

1 lb mascarpone cheese

2/3 c cream

Bittersweet chocolate to shave--1-2 oz chunk should do it. 

2-3 T cocoa, for sifting

1.  Make the chocolate and vanilla sponges.  These can be done ahead of time.  I froze mine and then thawed and used them on the day I assembled.  

2.  Make coffee and let cool, add 4 T Rum and place in a fairly flat bowl or pie plate).  

3.  Beat the egg yolks for 2-3 minutes until light colored, add the sugar and salt, continue to beat until it is thick and light lemon colored.  Best to err on the side of longer than shorter, as you really need the structure from this.  Add remaining 2T rum.  Beat.  Add the mascarpone and beat until well mixed, approx 1 more minute.  Set aside.  

4.  In another bowl with the dirty beaters, beat the cream until stiff.  Fold this into the egg/mascarpone mixture.   

5.  Assembly:  Have ready your glass jars.  (I used stemless wine glasses, and then today I used 1/2 pint mason jars.  It all depends on what size serving you want. ) 

6.  If the cake is over 1/2" thick (my vanilla cake was), cut into 1/2-3/4" thick vertical layers, and dip quickly into the coffee mixture.  My chocolate cake was in a sheet pan, and I used a glass and cut out rounds to fit my glass.  These were also dipped into the coffee mixture.  I did this one by one as I needed them, but you could work ahead.  

7.  The order is this:  vanilla cake in the base, you can use pieces.  A layer of 2-3T of cream.  Chocolate shavings.  A layer of chocolate cake, another 2-3T cream, chocolate shavings.  A layer of vanilla cake, more cream and then cocoa sifted on top.  If using a smaller container, like the 1/2 pint jars, it would be one layer of chocolate, one layer of vanilla, but the idea is the same.  

8.  Once assembled, cover and chill for up to 24 hours.  

Note:  I have seen recipes using pound cake and the usual is lady fingers.  I could have made lady fingers but I find the sponge cake works great.  But I would not use the pound cake:  too rich.  The sponge cakes are simple, not too sweet and fairly sturdy.  My audience found them excellent.  

The other thing I see is Marsala and not Rum.  Or Brandy.   

Using Lemons to Chase Away Winter

     It sure does seem like this winter has been hanging on longer than most.  I can look at weather data and see that the reason for this is the particularly cold and snowy month of February we have had here in the Pacific Northwest.  In past years the temperatures in February allowed for a bit of serious gardening.  Ground is frozen out there (again) this morning.  

     In years past, I used to mark the dark months with a series of social events which would allow for a certain pacing of time.  Truly, I realize I am whining a bit here.  For me these months include going to work in the dark, coming home in the dark, and since I work in a windowless bunker....Seeing daylight was more or less reserved for the weekends.  I know that there are others who have less light this time of year.  However.  I still marked the time, all to be gotten through in the pursuit of SPRING!  There would be a spaghetti feed around early November.  The dreaded holidays were endured because of the annual Night of Beef.  Robert Burns Night would then cap off January and into February we would coast.  The spaghetti feed and RBN did not transpire this year (ah well).  

     What did happen this year was a lucky dinner party the other day and then a second dinner just yesterday which necessitated a dessert.  Being surrounded as I am by the gluten avoiders, that was a requirement.  And lo!  in my fridge an abundance of lemons.  What a cheery fruit!  

    I hauled out a recipe that my mother has made and began the riffing.  Lemon Angel Pie, which I am certain she obtained from Sunset magazine, is a great homey standard.  This consists of a meringue, baked in a  pie plate with slightly scooped up sides---all the better to contain the filling naturally.  Then there is a lemon curd which is folded with whipped cream and voila!  A dessert that has the intensity of lemon, the coolness of the whipped cream and the sweet crispy crunch of the meringue, and a bit of marshmallowy goodness underneath.  What is not to like?  

     The dinner allowed an initial riffing of adding dollops of curd and cutting them in to allow for pockets of curd.  This has potential but the whipped cream is a little too delicate for this technique and it all looked a bit messy.  Blame the cook.    The second dinner really did the trick.  I didn't want to make this large of a pie as there were only 3 of us.  So I engineered the recipe to use only 3 eggs instead of 4 and then used larger ramekins to create Lemon Angel Tartlets.  Or mini pies.  Or whatever clever name I can think of.  They were gorgeous to look at and even easier to consume.  

     Lemons:  helping to pave the way from winter to spring.  What a savior.  And the sun is shining today, so that helps too!  

Tartlets straight out of the oven, and then 10 minutes later, when they had collapsed.  

 Lemon Curd, cooled and ready to fold with the whipped cream

Finished Product!  

Lemon Angel Pie or Tartlets

adapted from Sunset recipe for Tartlets

For the pie: 

4 eggs, divided

1/4-1/2t cream of tarter

1 1/2 c sugar, divided

6T lemon juice

Zest of 2-3 lemons (at least 1 T)

1/4t salt

1- 1/2 c whipping cream (see notes)

Oven is at 275F.  Use a pie plate, spray well or butter and set aside. 

Make the meringue:   

Beat the egg whites until foamy

Add the cream of tarter, keep beating.  

Once the volume is starting to increase, slowly slowly add 1 c sugar.  

Beat until you have firm peaks.  

Spread into the pie plate and using a large spoon or spatula, work some of the meringue up the sides.  

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until very lightly browned and firm to touch.  

Let cool.  

Make the filling:  (see notes)

Combine the remaining sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt in a sauce pan, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened and mixture coats the back of a spoon.  Temperature will be approx 160F.  

Immediately remove from heat, scrape into another bowl and chill until ready to use.  

Whip the cream until firm peaks.  

If using more than 1 c, set aside approx 1/3 for topping.  Using the rest, fold into the lemon curd--it will be easier to do this if you take a portion and fold/stir it first to break up the curd, then fold in the rest.  

Scrape into the cooled meringue base and gently spread it out.  If using extra whipped cream, apply dollops or spread on top.  Chill x 2 hours at least.  This is best not covered with plastic wrap but placed into a loose bag to not destroy the top.  

Notes:    

I saw several recipes online that used a whipped cream topping, creating sort of a triple layer pie.  Worth a try.  

If doing that, use the larger amount of cream.  

There are several ways of making the curd:  some use a double boiler to help with tempering the heat.  I find that if you DON'T WALK AWAY keep whisking and use low heat that this is not necessary.  The instant read thermometer helps too.  

Garnishing with lemon zest is nice. 

To make the Tartlets:  

Use larger ramekins, and butter or spray well.  

Use the same technique above.  

When placing the meringue in the ramekins, make sure there is a fairly generous amount at the bottom or it will be hollow when done.  Not that that matters, the filling covers all sins.  They won't really look like there will be room for any filling, but they collapse in when they cool.  

Amazing Coconut Curry Soup for Cold Times

     I travelled to Fairbanks recently.  Ostensibly to attend a wedding, it was also a perfectly viable excuse to visit a place I'd never been to, and to see the Aurora Borealis.  There were plans in there for hot springs and snowmobiling as well.  The weather promised to be über frigid, and we were braced.  Only to find that there was a cloud cover many of the days sufficiently so that the weather was balmy in the teens and twenties.  For them anyway.
     No Aurora was to be seen, unfortunately, due to my strong desire to sleep combined with said cloud cover.  And while that was a failure, another opportunity arose:  we were graciously served a curry soup by one of my sister's friends, Amanda, while there that demanded a recipe request.  The soup was spicy but not overly so, and full of flavor.  It totally hit the spot.  While balmy by Fairbanks standards, it was still cold.
     The soup was reminiscent of one I had made last year for my book club.  That one was a Malaysian Laksa, which had many of the same qualities.  This one, Khao Soi, was so similar that, when I held the recipes up and compared, it was more than coincidental.  They were nearly identical.
 
     Well, there is snow on the ground here too, and the temperatures are below freezing.  Time for more soup.  But which one?  It turns out I morphed them together and took liberties.  I also increased the vegetable count so that it was less brothy and more solid matter.  But the beauty is that it is also incredibly forgiving.  Don't want to add all the vegetables?  Don't.  Serving it to vegans?  No problem.  What if they are gluten free too?  Yup.  None of that changes the basic flavors and idea.  The idea is this:   you make a chili paste of several ingredients, sauté said paste in oil then add broth and coconut milk.  To this you add a protein, some vegetables and season with fish sauce.  You put a series of condiments on top.   To seal the deal:  it takes less than 30 minutes.
     I am sure that this is lacking in the authenticity department.  Now that I have morphed it, it is even more divergent.  What to call it?  Khao Laksa?  Laksa Soi?  Amazing Coconut Curry Soup from a place where the temperature is in the 80's?  For whatever it is worth, the recipe from Amanda couldn't be all that authentic either, as it uses guajillo chilis---aren't those from this continent?  I see she got it from Bon Appetit.  No matter.  The Laksa recipe was a morphing of two recipes, and the Khao Soi from Bon Appetit.  Know only this:  the tumeric, in whichever form you use is a devoted staining agent.  You wipe your hands on your pants, and they are blessed with yellow prints.  Same goes for your sink, and so have a care.  The upside is that your toes will be warm and you will be happy.   And you can imagine you are in a place where it's warm and sunny.
     This is my version.  The Laksa is too morphed to give credit, the Khao Soi in it's original form can be found here  Chicken Khao Soi

Amazing Curry Soup

serves 4-6

Make the paste:  

2-5 chilis---jalapeno, cherry bomb, seeded (see note)

2" piece of ginger, peeled and cut in 1/2" chunks

5 garlic cloves

2-3 shallots

stems from 1 bunch of cilantro (reserve the leaves for later)

1T coriander

1T tumeric (or use 1" piece of fresh if you can get it)

1 tsp curry powder

Grind the 1st 4 ingredients in a food processor until finely minced, then add the rest.  

Make the soup:  

2T peanut or vegetable oil

2 x 14oz cans of coconut milk

2-4 c broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 lb protein:  i.e. chicken cut in 1" pieces, firm tofu in 1" pieces , salmon or halibut chunks

1 lb Chinese egg noodles, rice noodles, or if you are lucky to find it:  black rice ramen noodles

3T fish sauce (Red Boat is best)

1T palm sugar

Optional vegetables: 

1 1/2 c sliced mushrooms

spinach

cilantro

sliced jalapeno

sliced red peppers

Garnishes: 

sliced red onion, fried shallot, cilantro, chili oil, sriracha sauce, LIMES---this is a must

Have everything ready to go.  This is a mise en place situation. 

First get the noodles ready:  they need to be mostly cooked.  If you are using rice noodles, soak in warm water until pliable.  If using ramen or Chinese noodles, cook to barely al dente according to package instructions.  Then run them under cold water and drain.  Set aside. 

Heat the oil in a soup pot large enough to hold all the volume.  

Add the paste and saute for 5 minutes, do not let burn.  Add the broth and coconut milk.  Bring to a boil.  

Then what you add depends on what you are using:  if you are using mushrooms, now is the time.  Same with the red pepper.  If you are adding chicken or tofu, add it too.  All must be heated and cooked, soup bubbling nicely.  When ready to finish, add the seafood if this is the protein source, as well as the spinach, a handful of cilantro.  This wave of add ins will only take 1-2 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.  When these are done add the noodles until they are heated through.  Add fish sauce and sugar and correct seasonings.  Serve hot, with garnishes on the table.  

Note:  The way to add or subtract heat is to dial the peppers up or down.  I have served this to guests who are averse to any spice, using cherry bomb peppers, which are not hot.  But some heat is nice.  I would go up from there and keep adding until you get the level that suits you.  You can always add chili oil or sriracha if you find it insufficiently warming.  

Genius Rice

The folks at Milk Street Kitchen are geniuses.  That is the only explanation for this fantastic dish.  It is true that an internet search for similar recipes will certainly turn up others, and they may all be good.  Who knows?   I might even be inspired to try one.  It will have to compete with the one I got from these folks though.

I am a bit of a lame cook while I am not providing food for others.  All sorts of stripped down versions of food end up being dinner and not many are worthy of repeating.  However, I try to generate at least one decent meal that involves several components each week.  This recipe stems from this effort.

I confess I was literally moaning.   The rice dish was that good.  If that isn't enough inspiration, then picture a dish of rice with so many colors and textures and flavors that the remaining meal seemed an afterthought.  All this in the spirit of testing a recipe that would be used at a future book club!  It's what I would call a win-win.

Persian Jeweled Rice

serves 4

Adapted slightly from Milk Street Kitchen 

1 t saffron threads

4T salted butter

2 medium yellow onions, diced in 1cm pieces

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 c basmati rice, rinsed and drained

2 t ground cumin

1 3/4 t ground cardamom

2 carrots, peeled and shredded on a box shredder (about 1 c)

1 c dried cranberries

1 t grated orange zest (see note)

1/2 c chopped unsalted pistachios

Combine saffron with 2 2/3c water and microwave until water is yellow, approx 1 min. 

In a medium to large skillet, melt the butter, add onions at 2t salt, stirring, until softened and light golden brown.  Add rice, spices and 1 t salt and 1/2t pepper.  Cook until rice is lightly browned, stirring.  

Add the water, carrots, and cranberries.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and cover.  Until rice is absorbed and tender, approx 20 min.     

Fluff the rice and add the orange zest and 1/2 of the pistachios.  Correct seasoning, and garnish with remaining pistachios.  

Note:  this could easily be vegan if the butter were switched out for oil.  I used easily twice the amount of carrots, and will keep doing this.  I only had orange sweetened cranberries, so used a bit less and skipped the orange zest.  This was fine.  

**  If you serve this with broccoli and baked salmon, it might cause you to moan, so do so at your own risk.  

Salad for January Darkness

     The days are getting longer.  Well, you know what I mean:  the day is still only 24 hours, but the dayLIGHT is getting longer.  I have often said that the hardest time for me is from early November to early January.  I go to work in the dark, I come home in the dark.  I never see the chickens awake except on the weekend.  I hunker down and endure.  Once I can see and feel that the days are getting longer, my attitude changes, and I find the rest of the winter much easier to bear.
     The press and strain of the holidays doesn't help.  So it all feels like a breath of fresh air once January hits.  I don't do resolutions per se.  But I did review the last year and tried to find some highlights during my book club get together in December.  (we did a brief round robin).  I have to say 2018 wasn't too stellar.  I am determined that 2019 will be better.  It already is!   I have trips to Fairbanks and South Carolina planned.  Aurora Borealis!  I am going to Greece in September!  This fills the upcoming months with exciting adventures.  Other things are better as well:  say, for instance, health.  Mine and others.  The recent elections give me reason to feel more optimistic.
     I do try to eat more healthfully in January.  No rooibos tea detox stuff, just more vegetables, and less cheese and animal proteins.  I feel lighter and more energetic.   To that end, I ended up looking about for dinner options tonight that fit the billand remembered this one.  I have had the recipe for years, and it is visually beautiful, jewel toned.  It tastes fantastic.  I got it from Sunset magazine years ago.  I am sure there is nothing 'authentic' about it being Norwegian---I mean, they don't have coconuts there for one.  Or ginger for that matter.  But I hardly care, as the salad is a departure from a green one, and interesting flavors are to be found.
     This recipe is somewhat similar to one I ate growing up.  That one had carrot and apple, and a lemon/sugar dressing.  This one takes to a whole other level--a more grown up version, if you will.  The recipe is fairly faithful to the one I got years ago, but I confess to adding 1-2t of sugar to it.  Do what you want.  Don't be too concerned about the amount of the vegetables.  I use whatever I have on hand.

 The colors are so bright it almost hurts to look at them

Norwegian Beet Salad

Adapted slightly from Sunset Magazine

serves 3-4

1 beet
1-2 carrots
1 apple
1 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c coconut (flaked is better texture-wise)
2T lemon juice
1 T grated fresh ginger
1/2-1T sesame oil
chopped parsley
salt (1/4t +)
1-2 t sugar

Peel and grate the vegetables.  I to this in a food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients up to the salt,  then adjust the salt and sugar to taste.
No excuse not to make this for dinner, it's that easy.  Just put your sunglasses on to make and eat it, and pretend like it is summer.

Tuscan Butter Salmon via Guest Post!

Guest Blog by Karen Petersen 

Living in Alaska – it is a challenge sometimes to come up with new seafood recipes that are easy and have simple ingredients.  No point in ever putting in capers or radicchio in a recipe since the store in Thorne Bay can’t even special order that stuff!  It mush be bootlegged into town….

In any case – the Keep-It-Simple philosophy tends to work best, and the gas grill gets a lot of use.

So, when my husband sent me an email link for Tuscan Butter Salmon (Here is the original web link  https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58412/tuscan-butter-salmon-recipe/ )   I thought there is no point in even looking at the recipe (I mean – it has the word “Tuscan” in it, so it must be complicated right?)  But it is rare that he ever looks at recipes, and he insisted that it looked good, so I gave it the once over and thought – okay – we can try this.  We have lots of Sockeye in the freezer and it needs to be eaten!

My metric for making a new dish is I try really hard to stick to the original the first time around and then all bets are off for further incarnations.  I decided if I could find all the ingredients at the store then it was meant to be.  Cherry tomatoes, Parmesan Cheese, spinach, heavy cream and garlic – how hard could it be?  For a bit of perspective, the previous week there was no dairy product to be had at the Thorne Bay Market (they didn’t send it) and the week before THAT it was no eggs, so I was prepared to pass, BUT lo and behold, all ingredients were to be found, and they looked pretty good (as opposed to 3 weeks old and slimy).

I daringly invited guests over for dinner and immediately had to double the recipe – but that was okay – have lots of salmon….

And I discovered my paella dish worked JUST FINE for the preparation.  So – it was off the races:

Get all your stuff ready to go before cooking since this goes licketly-split fast”

Prep the salmon (I pull out the bones) by cutting into pieces, drying them with a paper towel (this is a new thing for me) and lightly salting.

Chop the garlic, and parsley and put into separate little dishes.  Also wash and dry the spinach.  Grate the cheese, and slice the tomatoes in half.  Premeasure the cream and butter and you are ready.

Tuscan Butter Salmon

serves 4, increases easily

This goes together very fast – and  I found the fish cooked faster than the recipe says.  Better to under-cook than over cook because you can add cooking time at the end.  Here is the recipe as it was found:

Ingredients

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 (6-oz) salmon fillets, patted dry with paper towels

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp. butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 c.halved cherry tomatoes

2 c.baby spinach

1/2 c.heavy cream

1/4 c.freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 c. chopped herbs (such as basil and parsley), plus more for garnish

Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions

    In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Season salmon all over with salt and pepper. When oil is shimmering but not smoking, add salmon skin-side up and cook until deeply golden, about 6 minutes. Flip over and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

    Reduce heat to medium and add butter. When butter has melted, stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to burst then add spinach. Cook until spinach is beginning to wilt.

    Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, and herbs and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

    Return salmon back to skillet and spoon over sauce. Simmer until salmon is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

    Garnish with more herbs and squeeze lemon on top before serving.

I added red pepper flakes and only used parsley because that is all I had in the garden….

ENJOY!