Little Pistachio Tiramisù with Strawberries

The idea of making and serving Tiramisù in little pots is not mine...I "stole" it from Wiggi who, in turn, "stole" it from Sadler. Anyway, I can modestly say that I was lucky enough to be able to taste the original at her wonderful wedding and, because I am a spoilt girl, I took home with me 2, and I say 2!!!, of these little gorgeous treats...not without effort though, since the waiters at the party tried few times to take my preeciousssssss treasure away, not knowing about their boss' consent.

Trying not to copy everything from Wiggi's post, I thought to combine with the strawberries two flavours that with them are just perfect, chocolate, for the sponge, and pistachio, for the mascarpone cream...without doubts, a marriage made in heaven!!

PISTACHIO TIRAMISU' with STRAWBERRIES
Makes 8 little jars

For the SPONGE
(Recipe by Ilona Chovancova from her book "Rotoli" (Rolls))

5 Eggs
120g Sugar
120 g Plain flour
2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
1 Pinch of salt

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Separate the eggs and beat yolks and sugar together until pale. Sift the flour with the cocoa powder and the pinch of salt and add them to the beaten yolks a tablespoon at a time mixing very gently. Wisk the egg withes to soft peaks and fold them delicately in the mixture. Pour the sponge batter into a swiss roll tin (25 x 35/40 cm) lined with baking parchment. Bake for 12-15'. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the PISTACHIO MASCARPONE CREAM

5 Eggs
500g Mascarpone cheese
200g Sugar
100-150g Pistachio paste

Separate the eggs and in a large bowl beat the yolks with the sugar until pale. In another bowl mix the mascarpone and the pistachio paste together until soft and smooth and then add it to the beaten yolks mixing gently. Wisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks and fold them into the mascarpone/yolks mixture. The cream has to be light and soft so it is important not to beat off the air from it while mixing.

For the ASSEMBLY

Sponge
Pistachio mascarpone cream
Strong espresso coffee
Strawberries (20-30)
Cocoa powder to dust

Cut the sponge with a round cutter of the same diameter of the jar (alternatively, cut the sponge into strips as if they were savoiarbi biscuits) and slice 20 strawberries (roughly two for each little jar). Start to cover the bottom of the jar (or the glass) with the sponge soaked in the coffee for few seconds, then add 1-2 tbsp of mascarpone cream and some strawberries. Carry on with with a second layer of sponge and mascarpone cream only. Dust with cocoa powder and decorate with half strawberry.

And this is Sadler's original version:

A smile with the lid,
D.

Hazelnut Torte with Moscato Zabaglione

Here in the UK I usually buy cooking magazines to get more experienced about british food but this time on February issue of Good Food I was surprise when I found a recipe very very italian...actually the recipes were four...and all presented by Gary Rhodes. Gary spent 4 weeks travelling around Italy, my Bel Paese, collecting recipes for his latest series on the Good Food channel titled "Gary's flavours of Italy". After having tried this recipe and found it amazing, I am really looking forward to watch the first episode tomorrow (Wednwsday, 20th January 2010) and see what other recipes Gary is going to share with us!!!

This cake is extremely easy to make but very very good indeed; it is perfect as dessert after a nice Sunday luch or, without the zabaglione, as an afternoon tea cake or with a coffee in the morning.

HAZELNUT TORTE
Serve 8

100g Butter, melted and cooled
140g Hazelnuts, roasted
140g Plain flour
1tsp Bakig powder
140g Caster sugar
2 Mediun eggs
100ml Single cream
Icing sugar for dusting

Heat oven at 180°C and grease a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. In a food processor grind the hazelnuts with the sugar until they are fine but with a little texture. Add chopped hazelnts to a bowl and sieve over the flour and the baking powder. Add the eggs, cream and melted butter and stir until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 35-40' until well risen and golder (a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean). Remove the cake form the tin and leave to cool on a rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve as it is or with the zabaglione.

MOSCATO ZABAGLIONE
Serves 6

4 Egg yolks
100g Caster sugar
250ml Moscato wine

Place a large bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the yolks and wisk lightly before adding the sugar and wine. Wisk vigorously until think, pale and smooth and the bubbles have almost disappeared. Pour into glasses or small cups and serve on their own or with the cake.

I hope you like it....

A big smile,
D.

Chocolate Special: Triumph

Finally all the mistery surrounding the Chocolate Special is revealed: this is the dessert I served right one week ago to MyP. who was here in England with me. This month (and maybe longer) since I am in a forced exile (due to the bloody cells I am working with!!) it will be him to take over the weekly "rush to the airport-plane-week end together-plane-rush to the office"...THANKS!!!!!!!!!

For the recipes nothing simpler....put together this, this and this... and that's it!!

A gourmand smile,
D.

Chocolate Special: Simple Chocolate Mousse

Unfortunately here we are with the last leg of this Chocollate Tour...and with what recipe I could end if not with the timeless moussse??..And what a mousse!!....a proper ode to chocolate. Don't forget to select ingredients of the best quality! I didn't remind you that for the tart or the cake (you already know it but...repetita iuvant!!), I do it here because for this recipe is essential since it uses just eggs and chocolate; so few ingredients that must be the best. It's useless to say that this is by Hermè from his book "Chocolate Desserts".

SIMPLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

170gr Plain chocolate
80gr Whole milk
1 Large egg yolk
4 Large egg whites
2 Tbsp Sugar

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water or in a microwave. The bowl should big enough to hold all of the ingredients. Allow to cool and it's ready to use it when it's warm to the touch. Bring the milk to the boil and pour over the warm chocolate. Using a small whisk, gently blend the milk into the chocolate. Add the egg yolk and whisk, working gently. With an electric whisk beat the egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase the speed to high and add the sugar. Beat until firm and glossy. Scoop one-third of the whites onto the chocolate mixture. Working with a whisk, beat the white into the chocolate to lighten the mixture. Now, with either the whisk or a large rubber spatula, fold delicately the rest of the whites in the chocolate. Turn the mousse in a large serving bowl or in individual cups or glasses. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.

This is the basic recipe but you can change it and play with it with just a little of fantasy. For example, you can serve it with different toppings: chocolate shavings, raspberries (or other berries), slices of banana, toasted nuts, fresh mint...or you can change the flavour while making it, infusing the milk with grated orange zest, a spoon of instant coffee, a pinch of ground cinnamon, ginger, chilly or cardamom...in short unleash your creativity!!!!

I prepared little pots to be served with.....

A chocolately smile,
D.

PS. Almost anything and everythng had been on the chocolate mousse. Some use just eggs, others add cream as weel...I must tell you, adding milk was a nice surprise. It is lighter than cream and brings smothness to the mousse without adding richness or masking the flavour of the chocolate.

Chocolate Special: Apricot & Ginger Chocolate Loaf

Here I am with the second episode! After the warm chocolare tart, here the recipe of this loaf cake...still by Pierre Hermè...still taken from his book "Chocolate Desserts".

APRICOT & GINGER CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKE

180gr Plain flour
40gr Cocoa powder
1 Tsp Baking powder
125gr Dried apricots, cut into small chunks
165gr Sugar
140gr Almond Past (*)
4 Large eggs, at room temperature
150gr Whole milk, at room temperature
70gr Plain Chocolate,cut into small chunks
55gr Stem ginger, cut into small chunks
180gr BurroUnsalted butter, melted and cooled

(*) These are the ingredients of the original recipe. For those of you who read from the US, you can get the almond paste in any supermarket where it is sold in cans under the Solo label. Here in England, I couldn't find it so I decided that the 140gr required could be replaced by 70gr sugar and 70gr ground almonds.
So the ingredients with my little variation are:

180gr Plain flour
40gr Cocoa powder
1 Tsp Baking powder
125gr Dried apricots, cut into small chunks
200gr Sugar (165gr + 70gr = 235gr, but I decreased it)
70-80gr Ground almonds
4 Large eggs, at room temperature
150gr Whole milk
70gr Plain chocolate, cut into small chunks
55gr Stem ginger, cut into small chunks
180gr Unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter a 9x5x3-inch (22-24cm) loaf tin. In a bowl sift together flour, cocoa and baking powder and set the mixture aside. Bring about 1 cup (250gr) water to the boil, pull from the heat, add the apricots and soak for 1 minute, time enough for them to soften and plump. Drain and dry the apricots with paper towels; set aside.
Put the sugar and ground almonds in another bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating with an electric whisk on medium speed for 2 minutes after each addition. Increase the speed to high and beat the egg, sugar, almond mixture for 8-10 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the milk, mixing until combined, and then the sifted dry ingredients beating until the batter is homogenous. Working with a large rubber spatula fold in the apricot, the chocolate and the ginger chunks, and then gently fold the melted butter. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a slender knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the cake appear to bake too quickly, cover it loosely with kitchen foil for the last 20-30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a rack for 10 minutes before unmoulding it. Cool the cake to room temperature on the rack.

Wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature, the cake will remain moist for at least 5 days.

I cut some 1.5cm thick slices (as Hermè himself says, this isn't a sweet to cut into slivers) with a flower cookie cutter and...
Come on, be patient for a little longer and you will know what this is all about!!!!!
The remaining cake was eaten in no time at all becuase it was FAN-TA-STIC!!!

A soft chocosmile,
Diletta

PS. Diletta beat Pierre, 1-0! Why? Because the picture of this cake in his book shows the apricot and ginger chunks all sunk to the bottom while in my case they are evenly distributed...and I have got a proof:

My secret? I dusted with ground almonds the apricot, ginger and chocolate chunks before adding them to the batter...or maybe I was just lucky!!!

Chocolate Special: Warm Chocolate & Raspberry Tart

Or I should say Special Hermé since this recipe, and the other two which will follow in the next posts, is taken from his well known book "Chocolate Desserts", something you must have in your library at home!

I write the recipe as it appears on the book.

WARM CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY TART

1 Fully baked 8¾-inch (22 cm) tart shell, cooled at room temperature (*)
½ Cup (55gr) Raspberries
5 oz. (145gr) Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 oz. (115gr) Unsalter butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 Large egg, at room temperature, stirred with a fork
3 Large egg yolks, at room temperature, stirred with a fork
2 Tbsp Sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and fill the tart crust with the raspberries. Melt chocolate and butter in separate bowls either over simmering water on in a microwave. Leave them to cool until they feel warm to the touch (104°F or 60°C, as measured on an istant-read thermometer, is perfect). Using a small whisk or a rubber spatula, stir the egg into the chocolate, stirring gently in ever-widening circles an taking care not to agitate the mixture. It is important not to incorporate air into the ganache. Little by little, stir in the egg yolks and the sugar. Finally, still working gently, add the butter and stir. Pour the ganache over the raspberries in the shell. Bake the tart for 11 minutes. The centre of the tart will shimmy if jiggled. Remove the tart fron the oven, slide it on a rack and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
The crust cab be made ahead but the tart should be assembled as soon the ganache is ready. The tart is meant to be eaten soon after it comes from the oven, but it can be kept overnight in the fridge and brought to room temperature before being eaten the next day. The filling will be firmer but still delicious.

(*) I made the pastry following the recipe by Santin that you can find here, the only difference is that I used gluten free flour. The pastry was fantasitc and so I think from now on to use only this type of flour.

For blind baking:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Fill the the crust with dried beans, rice or baking beans and bake for 18-20 minutes, just until it is very lightly coloured. Then remove the parchment and beans and bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the crust to a rack to cool.

"But why don't we see the tart???" you will be wondering...beh, because I cut it using a round pastry cutter (4.5cm) to make little mini tarts...
Be patient, you will see the final result at the end of this chocolate special!

A chocosmile,
Diletta

PS. Useless to say that this tart is really really really.....delicious!!!