Tag Archives: tiramisu

Perfection

Perfection
is not
– straight edges
– symmetrical circles
– right angles
– sparkling silver

Though there is a time and place for them, too

Perfection
is when
you don’t notice
– how straight a line is
– how round a circle is
– how eight minutes pass in 480 seconds
– green bits in your teeth till later
– that you haven’t slept since 4 in the morning

Because you are too busy being happy

The sort of happy that stays with you for hours, not minutes
and is not tied to things or places

Maybe just to people, the way they laugh, the way their eyes are kind and deep

Maybe just to the memory of that meal – the way the food made its way past your senses and into your soul, and made you feel

Alive

Maybe just to the crazy feeling that your toes are giggling, laughing to themselves under the table

Perfection
cannot
be adequately spun into words
or learned
or taught
or practised

Only recognised.

Pictured: salmon, ricotta and spinach ravioli with tomatoes; pork saltimbocca with roasted vegetables; tiramisu – thank you Ms Gudrun for cooking such a beautiful meal for us and for hosting a perfect evening!

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Rich simplicity is.

So last night, I got to use ELECTRIC BEATERS… woo! Sure beats having to whip those egg whites into shape by hand (which is what I used to do in my electric-beater-less kitchen in Wellington). I felt alive at the end.

Need a recipe for tiramisu?

Tiramisu

The truth is that life is delicious, horrible, charming, frightful, sweet, bitter, and that is everything.
~ Anatole France

(Recipe to come after we conduct taste tests!)

[edit]

    Tiramisu
    Ingredients:
    3 eggs, separated
    2 cups espresso, cooled (I used instant coffee – make this VERY strong – with at least 3 times the amount of coffee powder you’d usually use with that amount of water)
    4 tbsp French Vanilla Kahlua (or other Kahlua/brandy)
    4 tbsp caster sugar
    250g mascarpone cheese
    170ml thickened or whipped cream (optional)
    16 large sponge fingers
    Dark chocolate, chopped, or cocoa powder
    6 ramekins for serving

    Method:
    Prepare the espresso and chill it in the fridge/freezer till it is at least room temperature.
    Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Add the mascarpone cheese and kahlua/brandy, and beat the mixture until just combined. Fold in the thickened cream if using.
    In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.
    Spoon one tablespoon of the mixture into each ramekin, using the back of the spoon to spread it across the bottom. Break the sponge fingers to fit the ramekins, dip them in the espresso and shake them so they are not dripping, and arrange them in a tight, single layer on top of the mixture. Spread another layer of mixture on top, followed by another layer of sponge fingers. Finish with a final layer of mixture, then sprinkle the chopped chocolate bits or cocoa powder evenly over it.
    Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 6 hours before serving.
    Yields 6 servings.

[/edit]

A sort of tiramisu

I am as vigilant as a cat to steal cream.
~ William Shakespeare

Were I as vigilant as Shakespeare, I would have had some cream at home. As it is though, I did not, so I made some impromptu tiramisu-inspired layered something with trim milk instead and poured it into 5 ramekins which are now sitting in the fridge.

I did not cook with method or precision tonight. Ingredients used: amaretti biscuits, shredded coconut, 2 eggs, strong coffee, drizzle of kahlua, 1 tbsp sugar, some mascarpone cheese, some cream cheese, some trim milk, chocolate bits. I’m mostly optimistic about the results.

[edit] It tasted perfect, but it was very wet! I strongly advise the use of sponge fingers (as opposed to amaretti biscuits) and cream (as opposed to milk). [/edit]

Christmas

Christmas this year was different again. Each year now it is very different, and I never know what will happen in the next year. I spent the weekend with a dear friend and her family down in the garden city (Christchurch)… and got to see a few other friends too in my time there.

We ate on Christmas evening in the garden, savouring the balmy summer breeze

Combined-effort Homemade Tiramisu

Fat ducks, friendly trees and heavenly-scented roses are a true delight to the senses

I was very very tired this evening, so tonight I decided to have a simple dinner of salmon on toast with some lemon and black pepper, stems of raw asparagus, a few slices of havarti cheese – and a peach. Perfection.