Japanese Green Tea Tiramisu Recipe

The perfect fancy-pants dinner dessert
- dramatic looking but easy to do!

What you’ll need:

·       3 Egg yolks

·       1/3 cup white castor sugar

·       250gms Mascarpone cheese/unsalted cream cheese

·       1 cup heavy cream

·       1 tsp vanilla extract

·       1 tsp Cointreau, or any orange flavoured liqueur

·       1 tsp brewed Matcha green tea, cooled

·       3 Egg whites

·       Sponge cake strips or sponge fingers 

·      Matcha green tea powder (to garnish)

·      Mint sprigs or Oreos cut into quarters to decorate.

·      Lots of clean mixing bowls!

What to do:

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl set over pan of simmering water, until the mixture is pale yellow.

Add the mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth and creamy.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream and add vanilla and orange liqueur.

In yet another bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.

Fold the mascarpone mixture into the cream until blended.

Dip sponge fingers into the brewed Matcha, then layer them on the bottom of a serving dish.

Spread the creamy stuff on top, and repeat layers.

Refrigerate at least a couple of hours.

Cut into rectangles and dust each serving with powdered Matcha.

Decorate with mint or cookies.

Serve!

N.B.

* To brew perfect Matcha tea use about 1/2 tsp of powder to 250ml of hot water.

* For a more ‘traditional’ recipe, simply replace the green tea with sweetened coffee reduction, the Cointreu with Kahlua or Balieys and sprinkle with instant coffee before serving.

Chocolate Mousse

Preparation time is about 2 hours. Takes only 10 minutes to make.

Ingredients

165g/6oz dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids, finely chopped
8 free-range eggs, whites only
4 tsp castor sugar
Fresh Lemon Juice

Method

1. Place the chocolate in a large bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the surface of the water) and leave to melt over a low heat. Turn off the heat once the chocolate is completely melted.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a bit of lemon juice (this help the egg whites from separating). Add castor sugar until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
3. Whisk a third of the egg whites into the melted chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining egg white with a large spatula, taking care to maintain volume. Pour into a glass bowl or individual glasses and leave to set in the fridge for two hours, then serve.

Recipe Courtesy Raymond Blanc and BBC
Picture Courtesy She Knows

Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge

Butter for greasing the pan
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips (recommended: Ghiradelli)
*see Cook’s Note
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
Kosher or flake salt (optional)


Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, about 14-inches long and 7-inches wide, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside
In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Place the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick). Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt, if using. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge. Remove the fudge and place on a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.

*Cook’s Note: The fudge can also be made using 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 to 8 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Picture Courtesy Sugarlaws

Caramel Truffles

Caramel truffles:

Makes 34 (11 g each):

100 g sugar

20 g butter at room temperature

125 g cream

142,5 g dark chocolate, chopped

85 g milk chocolate, chopped

Cocoa

Caramelize sugar with a bit of water.

Add the butter then the warm cream.

In a bowl, pour the toffee over the chocolate and stir until creamy.

Cover the bowl with wrap film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Put the cocoa on a plate.

With greased hands make small balls with the truffle mixture and gently roll each truffle in the cocoa to coat.

(Picture and recipe courtesy - flagrantedelicia.)

New Orleans Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Pudding:

1/4  cup  raisins

2  tablespoons  Bourbon

1 1/4  cups  2% reduced-fat milk

1/2  cup  sugar

1  tablespoon  vanilla extract

1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon

1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg

Dash of salt

3  large eggs, lightly beaten

4 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed French bread (about 8 ounces)

Cooking spray

Sauce:

1/2  cup  sugar

1/4  cup  light-colored corn syrup

1/4  cup  butter

1/4  cup  Bourbon

Preparation

To prepare pudding, combine raisins and 2 tablespoons bourbon in a bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain mixture in a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid.

Combine reserved liquid, milk, and next 6 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with raisins, pressing gently into bread mixture.

Cover with foil; chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place dish in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

To prepare sauce:

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup bourbon.

Serve each bread pudding piece warm with about 1 tablespoon sauce.

(Picture and Recipe courtesy myrecipe.com)

Passion Fruit Parfait

Prep time: about 45 minutes, plus 4 hours of freezing

Ingredients (serves 4):

Passion Fruit Parfait

1 vanilla pod

3 large egg yolks

50 g sugar

2 passion fruit

4 tbsp meringue crumbs (about the size of a hazelnut,

possibly extra for sprinkling on top)

200 g whipping cream

Reduction

400 ml red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon)

50-75 g sugar

1 organic orange

1 piece of fresh ginger (about 1 cm/0.5 inch))

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 star anise pod

1-2 tsp cornstarch (if necessary)

plus: 4 ramekins of about 100 ml

For the parfait, slice the vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the pulp with a knife, and put into a large metal bowl together with the egg yolks and the sugar. Whisk over a hot bain-marie - this rarely takes more than 4 minutes, even by hand. The mixture will be foamy, then creamy.

Set the bowl into ice-cold water and keep beating until the egg creme has cooled down. Halve the passion fruit, scoop out the pulp and seeds, and stir into the creme with the meringue crumbs. Beat the whipping cream until stiff. First fold in one-third of it into the creme, then gently fold the rest into it so that it remains fluffy. Fill into the ramekins and freeze for

at least 4 hours.

In the meantime, boil the wine and sugar for the reduction in a pan. Wash the orange in hot water and peel 2-3 stripes of the zest with the potatoe peeler and add to the wine. Squeeze out the orange and pour the juice in through a sieve. Peel the ginger, cut into slices, and also add with the cinnamon and anise. Boil everything down to at least half the volume over medium heat in 20-30 minutes. If the reduction is still too liquid, stir the cornstarch with 2-3 tbsp of cold water until smooth before mixing it into the reduction, which should now be simmering. (The reduction gets even thicker when it cools down, so a bit of intuition is required here). Remove from the stove and let it cool down. The consistency is perfect when the reduction drips from the spoon like runny honey.

Dip the ramekins into hot water for a few seconds before serving. Then run a knife along the edge and loosen the parfait before turning it upside down on the plates. Let it thaw for a few minutes - that's the only way it will develop its full creaminess - and sprinkle with the reduction. If you like, you can also sprinkle a few meringue crumbs on it. By the way, the parfait can be easily kept in the freezer compartment for several days. It's a dessert you can make in advance for special occasions.

(Recipe and picture source: delicious days)

Vodka & Red Bull Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp saltLemon Juice

4 large eggs

Nuts

1 bottle of Vodka

1 can of Red Bull

2 cups dried fruit

Method:

1. Sample the vodka to check the quality.

2. Take a large bowl, check the vodka again.

3. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and mix with a little red bull and drink.

4. Repeat.

5. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

6. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.

7. At this point it is best to make sure the vodka is still ok.

8. Flavour with red bull to taste.

9. Try another cup - just in case turn off the mixerer.

10. Break two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

11. Pick fruit off floor

12. Mix on the turner.

13. If the dried fruit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.

14. Shample the vodka to check for tonsisticitity, flavour with a little Bed Rull.

15. Next ssiffft two cups of salt. Or something ... Who giveshz a shi**

16. Throw a pinch of Bed Rull over your shoulder

17. Pick up the can, mop the floor

18. Check the vodka

19. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

20. Add one table.

21. Add a shpoon of shugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

22. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over..

23. Don't forget to beat off the turner

24. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the vodka and kick the dog.

25. Fall into bed.

CHERRY MISTMAS

- thanks to diyya ninan (who tried, tested and survived)

Cheesecake (the easy lazy way)

You need:

A microwave oven

A flat glass pie dish (about 8" dia and 2" deep)

1/3 cup butter

450 gms cream cheese/paneer

2 hundred gm packets of cream crackers

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

A nice slosh of dark rum

What to do:

Melt the butter in the pie dish. Do not let it cook, just heat it til it starts to get runny.

Now blend in the cracker crumbs til you have a mouldable dough. You should be able to shape it easily. Pack this evenly along the sides and bottom of the pan, making a shell.

Place the cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and heat just until it softens. Beat it until its smooth. It helps to use a mixie with a blending blade but you can also use a fork.

Mix in the eggs, sugar, vanilla and rum and blend them in well.

Pour into the cracker shell and place in the centre of the microwave oven.

Cook for 8 mins rotating the dish a half turn manually every 2 mins if your microwave doesn't have a self rotating tray.

The centre will still be soft when you remove the pie. Let it set and refrigerate.

Serve with slices of mango.

:)

P.S. Serves about 8 decent sized slices. If you halve the recipie, do not halve the crackers and butter as the pie shell will still need to be the same depending on the dish.