Tiramisu

I am proud of this one. It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn good, and my best effort so far. I made it for Shannon's birthday, as it's her favorite dessert. And it's made from scratch. That's right, I made my own ladyfingers, or savoiardi. Although this gives me a little smugness, I would only recommend it for die-hard from-scratch cooks. Not that they are that difficult to make (they are not), just that store-bought will save you time and probably hold their texture better. My ladyfingers came out a little soft.

Start by either brewing or obtaining some strong hot espresso - you will need about 1 cup (8 fluid ounces). Add to this 1 tbsp sugar and 1 miniature (50ml) of Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur. Stir to mix and set aside in a wide bowl - you want a shallow pool of espresso.

You will need to make a double boiler for the next step (or, if you have a double boiler pan, you can use it instead - just put the yolks, sugar and wine in the top insert). This is simple - you find a metal bowl that will fit over a small-medium saucepan. Put a little (1/2 inch) water in the saucepan. The bowl must be the right size to fit over the pan without touching the water. Set the bowl aside and bring the water to a gentle simmer (be careful - if the yolks get too hot, they will scramble, and you will have to start again). In the metal bowl go 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) sugar and 1/3 cup Marsala wine. Set the bowl on the double boiler and whisk the yolks. You will need to do this for about 10 minutes, until the yolks expand in volume and get hot to the touch (when you dip in a finger). At this point, remove the bowl from the heat, and whip the mixture until it cools down. If you have a stand mixer, use it (with the whisk attachment). A hand-held electric whisk would also be useful here.

Meanwhile, beat 1 lb mascarpone cheese with a fork or spoon until soft. Set aside. Whip 1 cup heavy cream just until it gets to stiff peaks (if you are using a stand mixer, pour the yolks into a new bowl, wash mixer bowl and whisk, and use it for the cream).

Now fold the cooled yolk mixture and cheese into the cream until mostly combined. Take a 11 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish and set it aside. You will need some ladyfingers. How many you will need depends on their size. I used about 16 of mine. Now you are ready to assemble the tiramisu. Take the ladyfingers and dip them quickly, one by one in the espresso bowl. The goal is to get them a little wet but not soaked. After dipping, use them to line the bottom of the baking dish in one layer. Next, spread half of your cheese mixture over the ladyfingers and make it nice and flat and even. On top goes another layer of dipped ladyfingers, and then on top of them goes the rest of the cheese mixture. Flatten and smooth the top, then dust it with cocoa powder and sprinkle with chocolate curls (I used dark chocolate and a vegetable peeler). Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for several hours.

Pull the tiramisu out of the refrigerator half an hour before you serve it. Dust the top with cocoa again, if desired (it will look better if you do this), slice and enjoy!

Metric Info: 1 cup = 240ml; 1/2 inch = 1cm; 3.5 oz = 100g; 1/3 cup = 80ml; 1 lb = 450g; 11 x 8 x 2 inches = 28 x 20 x 5cm.

Home-made Barbecue Sauce

It's finally grilling season. We've grilled already this year, but now the weather is more consistently suited to it. This is the second time I made this sauce, which I found on the internet, and which is described as 'Carolina style', meaning that it is mustard and vinegar based. We had it on pork ribs first, and then on chicken breasts and legs. It was good on the ribs, but even better with the chicken.

It's a very simple sauce to make. Start by putting in a medium saucepan: 1 cup yellow mustard, 3/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground white pepper, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne powder. Mix and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Once the mixture has simmered for 30 minutes, add 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp (1oz) butter and 1 tbsp water. Stir well and simmer 10 minutes more. Your sauce is now ready to use.

To use it on grilled chicken, season your chicken legs and/or breasts with salt and pepper. Place on the hot part of the grill until you get a nice sear (good browning) on the underside, then flip and repeat on the second side. Flip again and brush generously with barbecue sauce. Grill for a few minutes, then flip and brush again. Continue until the chicken is just cooked through (check at the bone with bone-in meat) - white, opaque, and with clear juices. I always cut into the thickest section and check that it is completely done. Remove from the grill and allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before eating.

Metric Info: 1 cup = 240ml; 1/2 cup = 120ml; 1/4 cup = 60 ml; 3/4 cup = 175ml; 1 oz = 28g.

Chai Spiced Poached Pears

It was time to make poached pears again. This time I didn't have any red wine to spare (we drank it all), so I poached them in a simple syrup. To make it a bit more interesting, I decided to use some spices, but I wanted a theme, so I decided on chai spice (I guess I was in an Indian kind of mood).

To start, make your simple syrup. Put 7 oz sugar and 2 cups water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once at a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, add your spices and prep your pears.

The spices I used were: a slice of fresh ginger, a few cardamom seeds, a small piece of cinnamon stick, 2 or 3 cloves, a few black peppercorns and a pinch of fennel seeds.

I poached 2 Bartlett pears, but you can use any type of pear, and as many as you like, although the more you want to poach, the more syrup you'll need to cover them. Peel the pears, cut in half and remove cores, stem and tail. Once prepped thusly, put the pears in the simmering syrup, return to a simmer and cook until tender (a knife slides into the pear easily). Remove from the heat and cool in the syrup.

To serve, remove the pear halves from the syrup and enjoy with vanilla bean ice cream. The syrup can be saved and used again to poach more pears, as a base for sorbet, or even as a base for lemonade. Alternatively, you can strain out the spices and boil it down until thick and serve it with the pears.

Metric Info: 7 oz = 200g; 2 cups = 470 ml.

For red wine poached pears, click here.

Lemonade

I had a craving for home-made lemonade the other day. I was thirsty and it was hot, and so I stopped at the store and picked up a large bag of lemons.

Lemonade is easy, but it needs to be planned ahead. There are three ingredients - lemon juice, sugar and water. The first step is to make a sugar syrup. Put in a small saucepan - 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then remove from heat and cool to room temperature, before chilling in the fridge. Meanwhile, juice 2 lb of lemons. A juicer would do the job nicely. I do not have one, so I cut them in half and juiced them by hand with a reamer. Pour the juice through a strainer to remove any small seeds (or a fine strainer if you don't like any pulp in your lemonade), and chill in the refrigerator.

Once syrup and juice are cold, you are ready to make your lemonade. Pour the juice into a bowl, and add half of the syrup. Taste. If the lemonade is too tart (acidic), add more syrup until it tastes right. Once the sugar balances the acidity, decide if the overall sweetness is to your liking. I like my lemonade less sweet, so I diluted it with cold water (about an equal volume of lemonade to water). Put some ice cubes in a glass and pour in your lemonade. Enjoy on a hot day!

Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 2 lb = 900g.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies are a standby in our household. We make a batch every few weeks, when we get a hankering for something sweet. They are easy and quick, and mostly use ingredients that are always around. The recipe is minimally adapted from one in the manual for our Kitchenaid mixer.

Note that your butter should be left out at room temperature for about an hour before you start.

Start by creaming 8 oz softened butter (2 sticks; see above) with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup brown sugar. This means that you beat it with the paddle until it gets creamy and smooth. Reduce the speed on the mixer and add, one at a time, 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla extract, mixing until combined. Stop the mixer and combine 3 cups flour with 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt. Start the mixer on 'stir' speed, and slowly add the flour mixture, continuing to mix until combined. Then add 12 oz (1 bag) chocolate chips, and mix just long enough to disperse them evenly through the dough.

Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper, and scoop 1 tsp of dough per cookie, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 F in a preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, until just starting to brown. Remove immediately from the sheet to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with a large glass of cold milk!

Metric Info: 8 oz = 225g; 1 cup = 240 ml; 3 cups = 710 ml; 12 oz = 340g; 2 inches = 5 cm; 375 F = 190 C.