Tag Archives: tiramisu

White Chocolate Tiramisu (Easy & No-Bake)

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Every so often, there comes a recipe so wonderful, so divine that you cannot keep your fat head out of the fridge and away from it. You can fight, you can give yourself pep talks and words of encouragement; but in the end, you wind up face-first in food, too overcome by its delicious force to even use a spoon.  These battles are fruitless. In the face of something that good, it is best to give in early and let your taste buds bask in the sweet bliss.

I put up a mighty fight against this White Chocolate Tiramisu, my friends, but my will power was meek and defenseless compared to its heavenly allure. I made it for Easter dessert, fully intending to only eat it on Easter and then go back to my healthy eating ways, but that baby called to me from the fridge for several days after. I was only released from its hypnotic hold when it was gone.

And what a bittersweet moment that was. Continue reading →

Tiramisu Creme Brulee

Creme brulee has a classy kind of elegance to it. When first served, it boasts a sparkling sugar shell that shields whatever delight may hide beneath it. When you bring you spoon to its surface, there’s a satisfying snap as you break through the crisp sugar and dive into the creamy custard below. It’s an impressive dessert to look at, and equally impressive to eat. Creme brulee is on almost any fancy restaurant’s dessert menu, a crowd-pleasure with its simple yet seductive qualities.

Well, me being me, I couldn’t just make vanilla creme brulee. I get a thrill from taking something classic and putting a new twist on it that amplifies the original deliciousness without erasing its classic qualities. Tiramisu is a favorite dessert of mine that is similar to creme brulee in its sophisticated nature and generally large fan base. Furthermore, both tiramisu and creme brulee are technically custard-based desserts. I could not deny these similarities, my little cookies. These things were not mere coincidence; tiramisu and creme brulee were just begging to be fused together.

And thus, we have Tiramisu Creme Brulee.

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Pumpkin Tiramisu

Tiramisu is an elegant dessert loved by all. With layers of light, luscious cream, cakey, espresso-soaked lady fingers, and a touch of chocolate, what’s not to enjoy? Tiramisu is creamy, fluffy, and cloud-like. It evokes a feeling of indulgence and luxury. Presenting this layered beauty for dessert is sure to impress any dinner guest. Plus, it’s not an offensive dessert. It doesn’t involve any ingredients that people typically dislike. Therefore, you can always count on it to be a crowd-pleaser.

Like any delicious dessert, it’s always fun to play around and see what tantalizing twists you can create. This light and heavenly Pumpkin Tiramisu resulted from my love for two things: pumpkin and, of course, tiramisu. When the thought occurred to me to combine the two, it was one of those moments where you hit yourself on the head and ask, “Why didn’t I think of that before?”

It just makes so much sense! Any food that can fuse together two delicious entities into one super-dish is sure to be a winner, and this Pumpkin Tiramisu is no exception. There was some question in my mind as to how pumpkin would taste with espresso. This problem was easily resolved. Instead of soaking the lady fingers in espresso, you soak them in delicious apple cider! Not only are these flavors incredible together and completely ideal for Fall, but it also ensures that eaters of all ages will enjoy this dessert. Kids don’t always love coffee. But apple cider? Now that’s a different story.

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Judgement Time: Wegman’s Tiramisu

You know what’s awesome?

Tiramisu.

You know what else is awesome?

Wegman’s.

If you’ve never experienced either, then you haven’t experienced life itself. Tiramisu is one fantastic, heavenly dessert. Its layered structure, consisting of sweet, fluffy cream and espresso-soaked ladyfingers is only bettered by a dusting of cocoa powder or sprinkling of chocolate shavings. It is creamy, dreamy, and decadent, but also light and heavenly. But could Wegman’s do it right?

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PB & J Tiramisu

If you were a kid who grew up in America (likely), then you also grew up with peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. You uncovered them in your lunchbox, cradled in a ziplock bag, throughout the majority of your grade school years. There’s something about experiencing a food as a staple in your childhood that makes you grow attached to it. It becomes comforting, and perhaps tastes better to you than it would to somebody else. But let’s not underestimate the PB & J here; those things are delicious whether or not you consumed approximately 1 million of them between the ages of 5 and 11. There’s something about that creamy, salty peanut butter taste coming together with the sweet tartness of jelly that creates a perfect “opposites attract” reaction. It’s harmonious.

PB & J will always hold a special place in my lunchbox. There are a lot of sandwiches out there, but I’m sorry, none of them compare (except maybe grilled cheese). I am obsessed with PB & J anything. I don’t really like jelly at all on its own. But if you add some peanut butter, I am all over that stuff.

So, we’ve got to talk about this dessert now: PB & J Tiramisu. Traditional tiramisu is comprised of layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers, sweet mascarpone cream, and usually a dusting of cocoa powder and/or chocolate shavings. It is to die for, one of my favorites for sure. However, I think this PB & J version may have the original beat.

It’s one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. It tastes JUST LIKE PB & J, but with a refined, even more delicious touch. It’s grown-up PB & J. For the “P,” you have a peanut-butter mascarpone cream with a fluffy mousse-like texture. That stuff was heavenly. I could’ve eaten it all on its own. For the “J,” you have a raspberry jam/juice mixture that you soak the ladyfingers in (instead of espresso or coffee liqueur). And lastly, instead of white bread, you have those wonderful ladyfingers. You see, tiramisu is a magical dessert because those ladyfingers start out hard as a rock. But when you soak them in the liquid and let the dessert sit for at least 8 hours, they turn into cake. Who needs bread when you can have cake?

The best thing about this (besides its overall deliciousness) is that it’s shockingly easy to make! People are going to look at this dessert and be floored; it looks so impressive! But all you have to do is whip up the cream, soak some ladyfingers, and layer it up. That’s it. The only downfall is the minimum 8 hour chilling time, but the wait makes it taste even better! (…maybe)

A few tips before you get cooking:

  1. Yes, YOU REALLY NEED TO CHILL THIS FOR AT LEAST 8 HOURS. If you don’t, your ladyfingers will be hard as a rock and the dessert will probably fall apart. Chilling it lets the ladyfingers soak up all the liquid and become cake-like. It also firms up the dessert so it holds together and the flavors intensify.
  2. Don’t overbeat your peanut butter cream mixture (I might’ve a tiny bit…). It’ll get grainy. Still tastes great, just doesn’t look as pretty.
  3. Take your mascarpone out long before you want to start layering so it can come to room temperature.
  4. I couldn’t find crisp ladyfingers in my grocery store so I bought these Margharite Cookies instead. I don’t know, they look like ladyfingers to me!
  5. This recipe originally used cream cheese instead of mascarpone. I’m sorry, but that’s wrong to me. Traditional Tiramisu is made with mascarpone! It just wouldn’t taste the same.
  6. Thicker chocolate(like a block) is easier to make curls out of. However, all I could get my hands on was a Hershey bar. I made it work!
  7. This makes a small 9 by 5 in. loaf pan of tiramisu. This was perfectly sized for my parents and I, but if you need more, double it and make it in a 9 by 9.
  8. When you divide the jam mixture in this recipe, you should split it in half roughly, leaving just a bit more for the top layer of ladyfingers. If you just split it evenly, the bottom layer will be much more saturated and the top might be too dry. Thank you, gravity.

PB & J Tiramisu

Recipe adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 8 oz. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
  • 1/3 cup raspberry juice or raspberry liqueur
  • 14 italian-style crisp ladyfingers
  • 4 cups raspberries
  • 1 bar of chocolate, for shaving

Directions:

  1. Beat the peanut butter, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of the cream in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth & fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the remaining 1/2 cup cream and beat until creamy (about 1-2 minutes). Don’t overbeat!
  2. Whisk jam, juice, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl until smooth. Spread about 3 tbsp. of jam mixture in a 9×5 in. glass loaf pan. Cover with half of ladyfingers, arranging them lengthwise. Brush with a bit less than half of the remaining jam mixture (Don’t worry if it looks like a lot of liquid, it will absorb as it chills, I promise!).
  3. Spread half of the peanut butter cream over the ladyfingers.
  4. Top with 2 cups raspberries and the remaining ladyfingers, laying them in the opposite direction of the first layer of ladyfingers. Brush the ladyfingers with the remaining jam mixture and spread the remaining peanut butter cream on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

    The final layer of ladyfingers.

  5. Uncover tiramisu. Top with remaining raspberries.
  6. Shave chocolate onto top of dessert or onto separate slices. To make chocolate curls: Using a vegetable peeler, quickly and gently glide the peeler down the edge of the chocolate and let curls fall onto tiramisu. You can make different sized ones. Work quickly because the chocolate will eventually start to melt from the heat of your hands. Speaking of which, watch your hands as you cut!
  7. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

MAKE THIS NOW. It has earned a spot in my top desserts which is NOT an easy thing to do (Because I love all desserts ever. It’s hard to stand out). You will feel like a kid because you’re eating PB & J, but you’ll be able to pretend you’re an adult because you’re eating fancy shmancy tiramisu.Yay for PB & J!