Tiramisu-Heaven on Earth

Probably the first time I heard the name Tiramisu from my wife, and really got hooked up with a slice at an Italian restaurant. But nothing like the original Le Beccherie recipe. We prepared one last weekend for a late night potluck and really stands by the meaning of its name ‘pick me up’.

There are many different stories on the history of Tiramisu, most referenced for the origin of Tiramisu’ is from the book by Fernando e Tina Raris “La Marca Gastronomica” published in 1998, a book entirely dedicated to the cuisine from the town of Treviso. The authors remember what Giuseppe Maffioli wrote in an article in 1981: “Tiramisu’ was born recently, just 10 years ago in the town of Treviso. It was proposed for the first time in the restaurant Le Beccheriein Treviso, Italy.

Considered a semifreddo (a dessert served cold, but not frozen), the dessert has many variations, with the only constant ingredient the mascarpone cheese. Here is the original recipe of Tiramisu or as we have come across the original version:

Zabaglione filling:
4-5 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1 lb Mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Coffee Dip:
1 1/2 cup Italian expresso coffee
2 teaspoon coffee
1/4 cup Marsala wine
Base & Topping:
10 oz Savoiardi (Italian lady fingers)
2 teaspoon bittercocoa powder

Directions:
1. Prepare a strong espresso coffee, about 1½ cups (360 cc). Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar in it, when the coffee is still hot. Let the coffee cool at room temperature. Add Marsala wine, if you feel like.
2. Beat the egg yolks in the bowl of a double boiler, until they become fluffy. Beat in the sugar and the Marsala wine. Transfer the bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until the cream thickens. The zabaglione will thicken just before boiling point, when small bubbles appear.
3. With a rubber spatula, mash the mascarpone cheese in a bowl until creamy. Add the zabaglione into the mascarpone cheese, and beat to mix very well.
4. Whip the cream. Fold the whipped cream into the zabaglione–cheese cream until smooth.
5. Lightly soak the ladyfingers in the coffee, one at a time. Place them in one layer in a container of about 12 x 8 inches, approximately 2 inches deep, (30 x 20 cm), approximately 4 cm deep). Evenly distribute half of the zabaglione cream over the ladyfingers. Repeat the step with a second layer of ladyfingers, and top with the rest of the cream.
6. Sprinkle with the cocoa powder and refrigerate for at least 3 – 4 hours. If you can wait, overnight would be better.

It really came out well and took our potlock audience on a welcome surprise trip to heaven at 3 in the morning !!

 

Murg Makhani – Butter cravings

One of the most popular Indian chicken dishes world over, Murg Makhani or Butter Chicken has been a haunt to our cooking desires, recipe alleys and experiments till we stumbled upon the preparation which, by far, has been our favourite. Rich, delicious and aromatic dish traces back in history to India’s capital city of Delhi during the period of Mughal Empire. According to some references, the recipe was invented by kitchen staff of Moti Mahal restaurant located in Daryaganj, the central region of Delhi. There is no documented authentic version and today recipe varies a lot.

At times confused with Tikka Masala, which is so popular in Great Britain to be acclaimed as the national dish. As they say, an Englishman was served tandoori chicken by an Indian and complained that there was no gravy. The Indian chef made a tomato curry sauce and added the tandoori chicken, which later became the tikka masala with boneless chicken.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg or 1 pound chicken thigh (or whole chicken), cut into pieces
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon garlic paste
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 kg diced tomatoes or tomato puree
3 tablespoons ghee or butter
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
10 Cashews Soaked and ground to paste

Preparations:
1. Marinate: Place chicken in a glass dish or bowl with lemon juice, 1 tablespoon chili powder and salt. Toss to coat; cover dish and refrigerate for 1 hour. Place yoghurt in a medium bowl; mix in small amonts of salt, garlic paste, garam masala, chili powder, ginger paste. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken, replace cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours.
2. In a wok or large pan, add oil, sautee onion and set aside. Shallow fry chicken until just cooked and set aside.
3. Melt ghee over medium heat in wok or pan. Add ginger, garlic, garam masala, sweet paprika, coriander and chilli powder to the melted ghee, maintaining medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until aromas are released from the spices and they start to turn into a paste. Return onion and chicken to the wok or pan, stirring until everything is coated in the spice paste.
4. Add cashew paste, diced or puree tomatoes and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, cream and yogurt. Simmer for another 2 minutes.

Can be topped with dried fenugreek leaves & streaks of cream as well. Best served with nan and onion/cucumber salad, or goes well even with hot steamed rice. Try it and bet you will enjoy.