RASPBERRY TIRAMISU

We went into a local “ristorante” last summer and they had raspberry tiramisu on the daily specials. It was disappointing, to say the least. The ladyfingers weren’t soaked in anything, there couldn’t have been more that a few raspberries mixed into the mascarpone, and there was only a tablespoon of whipped cream on the side. The best thing about the dish was the chocolate sauce drizzled on the plate as part on the garnish. Dry, crunchy ladyfingers covered in room temperature mascarpone with the barest hint of raspberry flavor. Very disappointing, but the idea has possibilities.


It has to be the essence of tiramisu – chilled, refreshing, and tasty. What goes really well with raspberry? – Why chocolate of course. Have to figure away to get it into the mix without it becoming about the chocolate. The questions were pondered for the better part of a year before the first attempt (not really sure why, but there were lots of distractions).

Used Chambord to dip the ladyfingers, but Chambord by itself doesn’t have enough pure raspberry flavor and it has a slightly antiseptic after taste – so mixed in some raspberry puree. That took care of the flavor, but it didn’t soak in very well. You need to use the first quarter cup that is sieved out because it will have the least pulp and most liquid. That took care of the problem of the crunchy unappetizing lady fingers.

First shot at it: Line a loaf pan with wax paper – taking care to fold the corners neatly so that it fits very well. Take a bag of frozen raspberries and thaw them, mash them up and sieve out the seeds to get a puree (at least three quarters of a cup). Take the first quarter cup of the puree and mix it with a quarter cup of Chambord; and soak sixteen ladyfingers in the mixture (until all of the liquid is absorbed). Place eight of the lady fingers on the bottom of the loaf pan. Blend a half of a cup of the raspberry puree into sixteen ounces of mascarpone cheese and one egg yolk. Layer half of the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers; add a layer of the next eight ladyfingers and then the last of the mascarpone mixture. Put that into the refrigerator over night to set up.

The next day, mix two tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar, a half of a pint of heavy cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip it until it forms stiff peaks. Unmold the mascarpone and ladyfingers onto a serving plate.

To provide chocolate flavor to accompany the raspberry, a quarter of a cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet and a quarter cup of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips was chopped and placed in a layer atop the molded mixture. Cover with the whipped cream. Let it set up in the refrigerator for an hour and it’s ready to serve.

It tasted pretty good – good berries and chocolate and the Chantilly style whipped cream was wonderful. The biggest downside was the chopped chocolate bits went all over the place when you cut and served it.

The second attempt was somewhat better. A quarter inch layer of chocolate ganache was added to the bottom of the loaf pan to take care of the problem of the scattering chocolate. Let the ganache set up over night and layer the soaked lady fingers and mascarpone mixture over it. The raspberry puree in the mixture was doubled to try to get more berry flavor. For presentation, all of the whipped cream was piped onto the top, leaving the sides exposed.

The ganache had the desired effect, and the mascarpone mixture was very berry, but it didn’t set up – it slumped onto the serving plate. And finally, there wasn’t enough whipped cream without it covering the entire dish.

The final recipe: Raspberry Tiramisu

Ingredients:

2 ½ tbs. heavy cream 1 oz, of chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 oz, of chopped dark chocolate chips 12 oz. bag of frozen red raspberries

16 ladyfingers ¼ c. of Chambord

16 oz. of mascarpone cheese 1 egg yolk

½ pint of heavy (whipping) cream 2 tbs. confectioner’s sugar

Tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Line a loaf pan with wax paper – taking care to fold the corners neatly so that it fits very well. Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl; and heat the 3 tbs. of heavy cream over medium heat until it is boiling. Pour the cream into the bowl of chopped chocolate and let it sit for 8 – 10 minutes. Mix using a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth; and then pour the ganache into the bottom of the loaf pan and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Take the bag of frozen raspberries and thaw them, mash them up and sieve out the seeds to get a puree (at least three quarters of a cup). Take the first quarter cup of the puree and mix it with a quarter cup of Chambord; and soak sixteen ladyfingers in the mixture (until all of the liquid is absorbed). Place eight of the lady fingers on the bottom of the loaf pan (over the chilled ganache). Blend a half of a cup of the raspberry puree into sixteen ounces of mascarpone cheese and one egg yolk. Layer half of the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers; add a layer of the next eight ladyfingers and then the last of the mascarpone mixture. Put that into the refrigerator over night to set up.

The next day, mix two tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar, a half of a pint of heavy cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip it until it forms stiff peaks. Unmold the tiramisu onto a serving plate (carefully remove the waxed paper). Cover with the whipped cream. Let it set up in the refrigerator for an hour and it’s ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings – garnish with fresh raspberries and shaved bittersweet chocolate.

Ten weeks into my weight loss regime and down to 215 pounds.  Try the  recipe and let me know what you think

Dietary Guidelines and Superfruits

Diet – the very word conjures up bad feelings. Is it eating too much or just the wrong thing? Can pomegranate and rice really change your life? Exactly what the hell is a superfruit? (I’m thinking Ru Paul) Maybe I should move to Scarsdale, or South Beach, or the Mediterranean. If the French can drink wine and eat fatty sauces and cheeses and lose weight, you can probably drink beer and eat chicken wings and lose weight. Otherwise it’s just not fair, and everyone knows the world has to be fair – it’s the reason that we have a Supreme Court and a Congress and a President. Guess that last part kind of blows the whole concept out of the water.


So, life isn’t fair and diet is nothing more that what you eat. Some guidelines to follow come from a nutritionist that discussed lowering blood sugar and maintaining a reasonable weight. First, if you’re used to eating from a ten inch plate, switch to an eight inch plate. Limit your protein (read meat, fish, or fowl) to a serving about the size of a normal deck of cards; keep your starches (read rice, pasta, and potatoes – although grains are greatly preferred) to about half to two thirds of a cup; and fill up the rest of your plate with vegetables. That is the crux of it – with other suggestions.

Green, leafy vegetables are preferred over starchy non-green ones. Legumes may be substituted for other proteins (and probably should be - at least twice a week). A quarter of a cup of gravy on that half to two thirds cup of rice, pasta or potatoes; and don’t eat dessert every night. Four small meals are better than two extra-large ones; and eat something when you get up.

If you are going to make rules, make them easy to quantify; and understand that it is not the end of the world (or even your diet) if you occasionally break them. The more days you stick to your rules, the quicker that you will lose weight, but as long as you are not gaining weight – don’t worry about it. Lose weight, but don’t obsess over it.

Almost to the end of my eighth week and 218 lbs.- and I had a check up with my doctor, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol are all good. I’m still trying to get them under control with out the medication. I just wrote a Raspberry Tiramisu recipe, so I’ll post that later.