Mini Tiramisu Éclairs
February 14, 2006 | Filed Under Desserts/Sweets | Leave a Comment
After making Cordial Cherries (see here) for Zorra’s special Valentine’s Day recipe round up event, I was on a roll and decided to make another Valentine’s Day treat – for everyone. By the way, if you are interested in participating you still have time as it has been extended till February 16. Here are the rules.
I decided to try another recipe from Southern Living – Mini Tiramisu Éclairs. While the recipe was fairly easy to make, I still had a bit of a challenge.
For the first step, I made a sandwich out of the cookies using a filling of mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and chocolate syrup.
Next I made a chocolate mixture (chocolate chips, butter, and whipping cream) to drizzle over the cookies. It involved melting chocolate. Never fear! After my previous chocolate-melting experience, I learned not to burn the chocolate. Thanks for all the tips from everyone who commented. It was very helpful!
I was supposed to drizzle the concoction over the cookies by cutting a hole in the corner of a Ziploc bag and using the bag. This was the challenging part for me. It turns out that I cut a large hole so that big globs of chocolate came out instead of nice tiny lines of chocolate on the cookies. Well, since it was my first time, I hope I may be excused.
I had to use the same technique for drizzle the éclairs evenly with a coffee-powdered sugar mixture. Another challenge for me. Again I think the hole in the plastic bag was too big and my hand wasn’t steady enough to make nice, even patterns over the cookies. My Mini Tiramisu Éclairs creation sort of look like a child’s design.
However, despite their looks, they tasted divine. Something sweet for your sweetheart! They disappeared within minutes in my household.
So, reach through your screen and help yourself to as many as you’d like.
Happy Valentines Day, everyone!
Paz
Half naked Lady Fingers waiting to become fully clothed
Mini Tiramisu Éclairs
Yield: Makes 24 éclairs
Southern Living, FEBRUARY 2003
1/3 cup hot water
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 (3-ounce) packages ladyfingers, split
1 (8-ounce) package mascarpone cheese*
1 ½ cups powdered sugar, divided
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon whipping cream
Stir together first 3 ingredients until sugar is dissolved; set aside 2 tablespoons mixture.
Brush cut sides of ladyfingers evenly with remaining coffee mixture.
Stir together mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate syrup until blended.
Spoon or pipe mascarpone cheese mixture evenly onto 24 cut sides of ladyfinger halves; top with remaining ladyfinger halves, cut sides down.
Microwave chocolate morsels, butter, and cream at HIGH 30 seconds or until melted, stirring twice.
Place chocolate mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag, and drizzle over éclairs.
Let stand until firm.
Stir together reserved coffee mixture and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, stirring until blended.
Place coffee-powdered sugar mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag.
Drizzle éclairs evenly with coffee-powdered sugar mixture.
Place on a serving platter, cake stand, or in candy boxes, if desired.
*1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened, may be substituted.
Cordial Cherries
February 12, 2006 | Filed Under Cherries, Desserts/Sweets, Fruits | 1 Comment
Zorra of Kochtopf has organized a special Valentine’s Day recipe round up (drinks, desserts, main courses and even menus). I wanted to participate by making a simple treat – chocolate-covered cherries. What could be simpler than that?
Well, I thought it would be easy enough to make. However, as usual, I had another cooking adventure.
Basically you soak maraschino cherries in brandy, dip them into melted chocolate, and viola – it’s ready.
I bought the stemmed cherries yet when I removed them from the jar; I found that half of the stems had fallen off.
The recipe calls for melting chocolate squares in a pan, using a candy thermometer. I don’t have one of those. Is it really important to use a thermometer for melting chocolate? Someone please tell me.
Since this was my first time, melting chocolate and the recipe doesn’t clarify the process, I didn’t know there was a special way to melt them. I used semi sweet chocolate chips and a bar of milk chocolate and simply put it in the pan under medium to high heat. Mistake #1.
The chocolate chips and chocolate bar that I used
After a while I noticed that instead of turning into a nice smooth brown consistency, my chocolate started to dry up, looking like a crusty porous, looking-like chocolate bread.
I took it off the stovetop and decided to put it into the microwave. I figured that it would melt faster. Mistake #2.
I left it in the microwave for a minute. Mistake #3.
When I opened the microwave door, billows of smoke swirled out and spread throughout the kitchen and out towards the hallway ceiling, where the smoke alarm is located. Please, please don’t set it off, I prayed.
I tried to fan the smoke away and moved the bowl of burnt chocolate to the stovetop. Now, it looked liked a charcoal remnant of volcano lava. The only thing missing was that tinge of red glowing fire underneath the black substance.
Soon a chorus of “What’s burning?” sounded.
“Nothing!” I replied.
“I smell something burning!”
“Nothing’s burning!”
We had to open all the windows in the apartment, including the bathroom. Burnt chocolate doesn’t smell good.
My burnt chocolate also known as lava rock
What should I do? Give up and eat plain cherries? No, I didn’t think so.
I still had half a bag of chocolate chips and half a chocolate bar left. Hope still remained. Determined to make my Cordial Cherries, I tried to figure out what I’d done wrong with the melted chocolate. I looked at the back of the chocolate chips bag and realized that it had instructions for different types of uses, including melting chocolate.
What was the secret? Well, not really a secret, since it was printed clearly for all to see – add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the chocolate and heat under very low heat, stirring, and occasionally removing the pot from the heat and returning it back to the stove top. Ahhh! My chocolate melted beautifully without problem.
Melted chocolate — success the second time around
Now came the easy part: Dipping the cherries into the chocolate. For the cherries without stems, I’d read someone’s suggestion of sticking toothpicks into the cherries. It worked very well.
The recipe also calls for soaking the cherries in Brandy. I didn’t do that but my chocolate covered cherries still tasted good.
Paz
Here’s the recipe below from Southern Living, February 2002:
Cordial Cherries
1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries with stems ½ cup brandy (optional) 1 (8-ounce) package semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped Drain maraschino cherries, and return to jar. Pour brandy, if desired, in jar; cover with a lid, and freeze 8 hours. Drain cherries, and pat dry, reserving brandy for another use.
Melt two-thirds of chocolate baking squares in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 115°. Remove from heat; add remaining chocolate, and stir until candy thermometer reaches 89° and chocolate is smooth.
Dip cherries quickly into melted chocolate, coating well. Place cherries on wax paper, stem sides up, and cool.
Yield: 2 ½ dozen
Note: Brandy-soaked cherries can be left in the freezer for up to two days before you dip them into the chocolate.
Happy Three Kings Day (Empanaditas de Gayaba and Pineapple Mini Pies)
January 6, 2006 | Filed Under Desserts/Sweets, Empanadas, Fruits, Holidays, Pineapples, Three Kings Day | 1 Comment
Three Kings Day (also known as Día de los Reyes, The Epiphany, The Adoration of the Magi, and The Manifestation of God) is celebrated on January 6 (12 days after Christmas).This holiday is observed in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the greater Caribbean, Latin America and throughout the United States. It commemorates the Bible story of the Three Kings (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar) who followed the Star of Bethlehem to bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (see a photo of a friend’s three kings version here) to the Baby Jesus. After my first failed attempt to make Empanaditas de Gayaba and Pineapple Mini Pies, I decided that this holiday would be a good excuse to try making the dessert empanadas again. Earlier, I’d put the delicate dough, that wouldn’t work under my hands, back in the fridge. A few days later, after making the meat empanadas, Empanadas Chilenas, I pulled dessert dough out to give it one more try. At first, the dough was nice and firm, but within a few minutes it turned super soft and glue-like, again. I was only able to form three (three!) guava empanadas before giving up and throwing the rest of the dough in the garbage can. 
I put my three poor-looking Empanaditas de Gayaba in the oven and waited (I didn’t even have a chance to make the pineapple version!). When they were ready and I’d pulled them out, I found that they’d lost their shape. What a disaster. The guava had exploded out of the center and the shells had opened up, turning into a blob. I shook my head and placed them on the stove top to cool. A few minutes later, I tasted one of my disappointing-looking empanaditas. To my surprise, despite its look, it tasted delicious! What a surprise! The dough was sweet, creamy, flaky, and the combination of the dough with the guava filling tasted very good. I finished the three empanaditas by myself. 
Mishapened, unsuccessful but tasty Empanaditas de Gayaba and Pineapple Mini pies
For Three Kings day, instead of the Empanaditas de Gayaba dough, I decided to use the dough recipe from the Empanadas Chilenas to make the dessert empanadas. I had no problem with the dough. I put the guava and pineapple fillings in the shell and baked them.
Gayaba (Guava) filling – Goya brand found at local supermarket
They came out fine (perhaps still a little thick) but not bad. However, the dough tasted different. I found that for a dessert empanada, I prefer the dough from the recipe which gave me trouble in shaping it. Perhaps it was the extra ingredients like the cream cheese and sour cream that made the difference in taste. So, while my dough from the Empanadas Chilenas turned out well, in the future, I’ll only use it for meat empanadas. I’ll go back to the Empanaditas de Gayaba recipe once more to try to make a successful dessert empanada. I think the effort will be worth it. For a nicer photo of a successful Guava Empanada and its recipe, go to Melissa CookingDiva’s blog here. If any of you try it, let me know. I’d love to read about your success story. Paz
Ed. Note: According to Angelika and Cindy, this holiday is also celebrated in Austria and France. In France, Cindy writes that they make a galette de rois and she wondered what others make. According to the Wikikpedia encyclopedia, “In Mexico, it is traditional for children to leave their shoes out on the evening of January 6, sometimes filling them with hay for the camels, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts. In Puerto Rico, it is also a tradition for children to fill a box with grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the same reasons. This is analogous to children leaving mince pies or cookies and milk out for Santa Claus. In some parts of northern Mexico the shoes are left under the Christmas tree with a letter to the Three Kings. In the afternoon or evening of the same day the ritual of the Rosca de Reyes is shared with family and friends. The Rosca is a type of sweet-bread made with orange blossom, water, and butter; decorated with candied fruit. Baked inside is a small doll representing the baby Jesus. The person who finds the doll in his piece of rosca must throw a party on February 2nd, Calendaria Day, offering tamales and atole (a hot sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to the guests.” Look here for more info.
Another Peaches Stuffed with Amaretti Cookies Recipe
September 12, 2005 | Filed Under Desserts/Sweets, Fruits, Peaches | Leave a Comment
I had some peaches and Amaretti cookies left over after making Angelika’s Pesche ripiene al forno. By coincidence, I saw a slightly different yet similar recipe on the Food Network channel by Giada De Laurentiis. She calls it Peaches stuffed with Amaretti cookies. Inspired again by Angelika’s recipe and my success in making it, I decided to make this second recipe.
Like Angelika’s recipe, this one was also easy and delicious.
I’m loving all these peach desserts! Angelika, I fear that you’ve created a peach desserts-making monster in me!
Paz
Peaches Stuffed with Amaretti Cookies
1 1/2 ounces amaretti cookies (about 12 small cookies) 3 ripe, firm peaches (about 5 ounces each), halved and pitted 3 teaspoons sugar (1/2 teaspoon per peach half) 3 teaspoons unsalted butter (1/2 teaspoon per peach half) 2 cups fresh whipped cream Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish and set aside.
Using a melon baller, clean out the red flesh from the center of each peach. Arrange the peaches cut side up in the prepared dish. In the bowl of a food processor, add the amaretti cookies and pulse until finely crumbled. Divide the amaretti crumbs between the peaches. Fill the center of each peach with the amaretti cookie crumbs. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over each. Dot each peach with 1/2 teaspoon of butter.
Bake until the peaches are tender and the filling is crisp on top, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Pesche Ripiene al Forno
September 10, 2005 | Filed Under Desserts/Sweets, Fruits, Italian Cuisine, Italian Recipes, Peaches | Leave a Comment
Recently Angelika of The flying Apple wrote a special post with me in mind. Thanks, Angelika! You certainly know how to make a gal feel special. In it, she featured the Italian dessert – Pesche ripiene al forno.
The main ingredients include ripe peaches, Amaretti cookies, almonds, mascarpone cheese, sugar, and egg yolks.
I decided to make the dessert and first went to purchase the main ingredients.
I had no problem finding the mascarpone cheese, because I’d used it for the first time for another recipe and now knew were to find it.
I went to one of the grocery stores in my neighborhood that usually sells good foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. Since I was making the dessert dedicated to me, I wanted the best and freshest ingredients.
I bought their peaches, which were large and good looking. There were more expensive than the peaches in the other neighborhood food stores, but I figured they’ be worth it. When I got home and took a bite from one of the peaches, it tasted awful – like cardboard and something else horrible. It turned out that they all tasted horrible and belonged in the garbage.
I later bought some peaches sold in the street. Unlike the first peaches, they were tastier and cheaper.
Peaches bought in the street — ripe, tastier, and cheaper
Next, I looked for the Amaretti biscuits. I went to my neighborhood store, Milano, an Italian foods specialty store. I remembered my sister buying the cookies from there before. Except, this time, I couldn’t find them and the staff didn’t know what they were. What a wierd episode. I looked throughout the store on my own and found a bag labeled “The Original Quadrantini Amaretto Italian Selection.†I snatched two bags and paid for it without really examining them. When I arrived home and opened the bag, I discovered that I’d bought the wrong kind of cookies – Almond cream-filled wafers. Oh, no!
Amaretto wafers – I bought the wrong kind of cookies
I eventually found the right kind of Amaretti cookies at Zabars. Yay! Now, I was getting somewhere! Time to start making my pesche ripiene al forno! The rest of the dessert preparation was event-free.
Amaretti cookies – the right kind! I greased my baking dish with butter, peeled my peaches, removed the pits, halved them, and put them in the dish. Then I made the Amaretti filling and put them in the peach centers.
Peaches with Amaretti cookies and almond filling I made the cream topping and folded the mascarpone into it, as the instructions called for. Unlike my first time, I understood what “fold,†meant. 
Peaches with filling and cream topping
I put the peaches in the preheated oven at 375ºF and 30 minutes later, I had my pesche ripiene al forno. Looking good – golden brown, bubbling warm cream! Thanks, Angelika. It was a fun and delicious cooking adventure.
Paz
The finished product from the oven – Pesche ripiene al forno
