Italian Tiramisu

Tiramisu - Italian coffee triffle

2 Egg yolks

1/4 c Sugar

1/2 c Marsala wine

1/2 lb Mascarpone cheese

1 c 35% Real Whipping Cream

1/2 c Extra strong coffee, cold

2 tb Brandy

24 Dry Italian ladyfingers

6 oz Semisweet chocolate, finely- chopped (approx 1 cup)

Ingredient notes:

Orange liqueur or extra strong coffee may be used inplace of Marsala wine.

Cream cheese may be used in place of mascaroinecheese.

Orange liqueur or orange juice may be used in place of brandy.

Ladyfingers should be approx 4x1-inch size.

Plain cookies or cake may be used in place of ladyfingers.

1. Make the filling by beating egg yolks with sugar until light. Beat inMarsala. Cook gently in a double boiler or in a stainless steel or glassbowl set over a pot of simmering water. Cook gently, stirring constantly,until thickened. Cool.

2. Beat mascarpone cheese until smooth and then slowly beat in cooledcustard.

3. Whip cream until light. Gently fold into cheese mixture. Reserve.

4. Combine coffee with brandy. Reserve.

5. Line an 8-inch baking dish or trifle bowl with ladyfingers. (Do notworry if ladyfingers do not fit exactly, break up extras and fit intospaces.) Drizzle with half of the coffee mixture. Spread half the fillingover. Sprinkle with half the chocolate. Repeat layers starting withladyfingers, drizzling with remaining coffee, spreading remaining fillingover ladyfingers and topping with chocolate.

6. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight before serving.

Tiramisu can befrozen for up to one month.Yield: 12 servings

White Russian Tiramisu

1/2 cup ground coffee beans

1-3/4 cups cold water

1/4 cup Kahlua (coffee-flavored liqueur), divided

1/2 cup (3-1/2 ounces) mascarpone cheese

(8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

24 ladyfingers (2 (3-ounce) packages)

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa, divided

Assemble drip coffeemaker according to manufacturer's directions.

Place the ground coffee in the coffee filter or filter basket.

Add cold water to coffee maker and brew to make 1-1/2 cups.

Combine the brewed coffee and 2 tablespoons Kahlua in a shallow dish, and cool.

Combine cheeses in a large bowl.

Beat at high speed of a mixer until smooth.

Add sugars and 2 tablespoons Kahlua, and beat until well-blended.

Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.

Quickly dip 24 ladyfinger halves, flat sides down, into coffee mixture; place, dipped sides down,

in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish, slightly over lapping ladyfinger halves.

Spread half of cheese mixture over ladyfingers; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cocoa.

Repeat procedure with remaining ladyfinger halves, coffee mixture, cheese mixture, and 1 teaspoon cocoa.

Place 1 toothpick in each corner and 1 in the center of tiramisu (to prevent plastic wrap from sticking to cheese mixture); cover with plastic wrap.

Chill 2 hours. Yield: 12 servings

Sara's Kitchen

Sara's Kitchen

Old Fashioned French Vanilla Coffee Ice Cream

Feel free to use just about any kind of coffee grounds here, but I think the vanilla flavor tastes right at home in this custard-based – meaning it contains egg yolks – ice cream.

I’ve seen similar recipes for coffee ice cream in which the cream is steeped with whole coffee beans, but I think using grounds, and then straining them, gives the ice cream a much fuller coffee flavor. For an unforgettable summer dessert, serve this in small, chilled bowls with a warm chocolate sauce (see Warm Mocha Sauce), plain shortbread cookies, and coffee – naturally.

Homemade ice cream can freeze up pretty firm if you make it several hours ahead, so if that’s the case just soften it slightly by transferring it to the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream

1 1/2 cups light cream or half-and-half

3/4 cup sugar

2 level tablespoons ground coffee

4 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine the heavy cream, light cream, sugar, and ground coffee in a medium-size saucepan. Stir over medium heat for several minutes, without boiling, until the sugar dissolves. Cover and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.
2. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and strain the cream through it. The cheesecloth will catch most of the grounds, but don’t be concerned if some of the fine flecks make their way through.
3. Stir the egg yolks in a medium-size bowl. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the warm cream into the yolks, then transfer the yolk mixture and the remaining strained cream back to the saucepan. Gently heat the coffee custard over medium-low heat – stirring virtually nonstop – until it is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from the heat, pour the mixture into a shallow bowl, and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool, then cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
4. Transfer the chilled mixture to your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Makes 6 to 8 servings