Tiramisu

中文： 提拉米苏

Tiramisu, even the name sounds so beautiful!  I love making tiramisu for parties.  It is always gone before you know it.  Sometimes I would make it just for myself.  With a cup of hot coffee and a good book in hand, it feels like heaven! O(∩_∩)O~

You can make it whatever shape you want.  Tiramisu in dessert cups are so cute and pretty.

Ingredients:

8 oz mascarpone cheese
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons rum and coffee liqueur (recommend Kahlua)
2 shots of espresso

18 to 20 lady finger cookies
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (use more if you have a sweet tooth)
1 teaspoon gelatin powder
2 to 3 tablespoons water
unsweetened coco powder

Directions：

Get a 6 inch round or square cake pan ready.

Add egg yolks and half of the sugar to a double boiler bowl.  Beat the yolks and sugar until yolks turns creamy white color with electric mixer on medium low speed when the double boiler is simmering over low heat. 

Remove from heat and allow the yolks to cool down to room temperature.

In another medium bowl, add mascarpone cheese.  Beat with electric mixer until the cheese is smooth.  Add the cheese to yolk mixture.  Beat until well combined.

Sprinkle the gelatin powder over water in a bowl.  Let it sit for a couple minutes and then microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds or until it completely melts.  Cool until it is no longer too hot to touch.  Add to the yolk and cheese mixture.  Whisk until well combined. 

Replace the electric mixer with a clean pair of beaters. 

Beat the heavy cream in a medium bowl just until it begins to hold it shape.  Gradually add the other half of sugar in between.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into yolk and cheese mixture.

Mix rum and coffee liquor and espresso coffee in a small bowl or deep plate.  

Deep the lady finger cookies in the coffee mixture for a few seconds.  And then layer them at the bottom of glass cake pan.

I didn’t find lady finger cookies in my local grocery store.  The closest ones I got are Stella Doro margrite cookies.  I did a quick online research when I was standing in the cookie aisle.  These cookies would work too.  You just need to soak them in the espresso mixture a little bit longer than the regular lady finger cookies.

Top with 1/3 cheese mixture and smooth it out with a spoon.

Add another layer of lady finger cookies. 

Top with cheese mixture again.  Repeat the process until the cheese and cookies are done.

Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Sprinkle with shifted unsweetened coco powder on the top.

I make a square one and another two cute mini tiramisu in dessert cups.

My afternoon gets so much better with a piece of tiramisu and a cup of black coffee! O(∩_∩)O~

Macaroons

中文：马卡龙

More macaroons!  I do love making these little sweet treats. 

I have posted the recipe several times before.  Here we go again.  I add some super fine ground coffee to half of the batch.  That is why some of them are darker color. 

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

110g powder sugar
24g granulated sugar
60g almond flour (available at Meijer)

Direction:

Combine powder sugar and almond flour.  Pour the mixture into food processor.  Run the processor for about 10 seconds.  And then shift the flour mixture.  Discard any big almond pieces.

Beat the egg white with an electric whisk at medium speed for a couple minutes.  Add sugar when beating, little by little.  Stop beating when the stiff peak forms.

Fold the shifted almond flour mixture into egg whites. Fold it gently until the batter can fall smoothly like a silky ribbon.

Prepare a medium/large size pastry bag and NO. 12 tip.

Line a cookie pan with silicone baking mat.

Fill the pastry bag with almond batter.  Squeeze a dollar coin size batter onto the silicone mat, about a quarter inch in height.   Repeat it until all the batter is finished.  You should be able to get 18 to 22 ones. 

Tap the bottom of the cookie pan when done to smooth the cookie dough tops.

Let the pan sit on countertop until the surface becomes dry to touch.  It might take 30 to 60 minutes depending on the humidity around.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Bake in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes.  DO NOT open the oven to check cookies when baking.

Let cookies cool down on silicone mat a bit before transferring to a cooling rack.

Use any filling of your choice: jam, chocolate, cheese, nutella……….  Be creative!