Tiramisu

 I'd been meaning to make tiramisu for a while now.

 There is something just so elegant about this somewhat simple dessert.

 

I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe, which isn't the most authentic, but it certainly was delicious!

Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"

(mainly for the skating)

• 5 whole Egg Yolks
• 1/4 cup Plus 4 Tablespoons Sugar, Divided
• 3/4 cups Kahlua
• 1 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
• 1 pound Mascarpone Cheese, Softened (Room Temperature) (or substitute cream cheese or yogurt) 
• 1-1/2 cup Brewed Espresso Or VERY Strong Coffee
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
• 1 package (7 Oz.) Ladyfingers
•  Cocoa Powder, For Dusting

Instructions

In a saucepan, bring some water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Find a mixing bowl that will fit over the top of the pan, but not sink all the way in. (Do-it-yourself double boiler!)

Put 5 egg yolks into the mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup sugar and whisk until yolks start to turn pale. Place the mixing bowl on the saucepan with the simmering water. Slowly add 1/2 cup Marsala wine and whisk to combine. Cook over the simmering water, and use a rubber spatula to scrape the pan. Cook until thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.

Place mascarpone cheese in a bowl and stir until smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine whipping cream and remaining 4 tablespoons sugar and whip until not quite stiff. To the bowl of whipped cream, add the softened mascarpone cheese and the chilled egg yolk mixture. Fold mixture gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Measure 1 ½ cups brewed espresso. Add remaining Marsala and vanilla. Arrange the ladyfingers in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan. Spoon a small amount of the coffee mixture over each ladyfinger (keep it under 1 tablespoon per cookie and you’ll be fine). Plop 1/3 of the cold cream/mascarpone/zabaglione mixture on top and spread it into a layer. Scatter with raspberries and grate over a thin layer of semi sweet chocolate. Repeat the process two more times.

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. This allows for more moisture to soften the cookies and the whole mixture to meld together. To serve, spoon out helpings onto individual plates.

Espresso Caramel Squares

This is another recipe from One Girl Cookies, which is one recipe book that I would totally love to actually own. 

This is a deluxe Twix bar. Hard chocolate melting into soft caramel crumbling into crust.

 

 Regina Spektor "Samson"

Ingredients:

Crust:

•  2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of table salt
• 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

Caramel Layer:     

• 1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee granules
• 1/4 cup sugar         
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 

Chocolate Layer:    

• 1 1/2 cups high-quality bittersweet chocolate chips      
• 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips 

Directions

Prepare a 9 × 13-inch baking pan by greasing it with cooking spray and then lining the bottom with parchment paper.

To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the machine running on low speed, gradually add the pieces of butter. Raise the speed to medium-low and mix for 3 minutes, until of the butter has been incorporated.

 
Turn the dough out into the prepared pan, and evenly press it over the bottom. Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 11 minutes.

To make the caramel, combine the sweetened condensed milk, sugar, coffee granules, butter , and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan set over low heat. Stir constantly until butter begins to melt. Increase temperature to medium-low, and continue to stir until the mixture begins to boil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the caramel is thick enough that when you drag the spoon through the middle, the indentation remains for 2 seconds. Be very careful at this point because the caramel is very hot.

Pour the caramel over the crust and spread it out in an even layer, working quickly, as the caramel will firm up as it cools. Let the caramel cool completely.

 
Loosen the edges of the crust with a metal spatula. Invert the pan over a large baking sheet, releasing the bars onto the baking sheet. Remove the parchment, and invert the bars again onto a cutting board.

To make the chocolate layer, put the bittersweet chocolate in a micro- wave safe bowl. Heat it on high power in 1-minute intervals, stirring between heatings to prevent the chocolate from burning, until it has melted. Spread the chocolate evenly over the caramel.

In a second microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in the same way. Using a pastry bag (or a plastic sandwich bag with a small hole cut into one corner), pipe stripes of white chocolate over the dark chocolate.

Let the chocolate layer cool for 20 minutes. When the chocolate is almost set but not quite hard, use a small, thin paring knife to cut 2-inch squares. The caramel can be messy, so be sure to clean the knife after each cut.