Saturday, February 27, 2010

Daring Bakers' February Challenge: Tiramisu!

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession. 

This challenge was exactly what I was expecting from the Daring Bakers! A tiramisu with many homemade components: mascarpone, savoiardi biscuits, zabaglione, pastry cream and of course whipped cream. Finding your own cow to milk to ensure non-UHT pasteurized dairy products was optional. Maybe next time, because I think I could manage that. Seriously. Thanks Aparna and Deeba for an amazing challenge!
I only had 4 days to complete this challenge, as I was leaving town for a month, so I couldn't do my usual procrastinating. I was a bit worried when it was recommended that we devote a couple of days to the components. In the end, it turned out that all the individual recipes were quite quick and easy. Really. According to some of my friends, I have a skewed notion of quick and easy, but I find time spent in the kitchen enjoyable and don't want to take shortcuts. 

This is the raspberry Amaretto variation. It was my favourite, and the only one I actually ate. I found the tart-sweet raspberries helped cut the rich creaminess. It was also really simple: I put a bag of frozen raspberries through the food mill and added sugar and Amaretto. I used some as a sauce and the rest for dipping the Savoiardi biscuits. 


This one is mandarin Amaretto. I had a big basket of mandarins in the fridge to get through, so I juiced them, reduced the juice with sugar and added a generous splash of Amaretto. 


The original coffee version, with some coffee-rum jelly. All the components on the plate reminded of the coffee jelly parfaits I used to eat in Japan. 


Because I had so much time, I froze some of the filling to make ice cream for some tiramisu parfaits: raspberry.

And mandarin.
I also made a coffee one, but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture and it was a soupy mess. A tasty soupy mess.


Continue reading after the jump for photos of the ladyfingers, mascarpone, and zabaglione. Here's the link to the full PDF of the recipe.








Savoiardi, piped and ready to go into the oven. These were amazing! I promptly ate half the batch and had to make more the next morning. 


Many were very concerned about the eggy flavour, but I thought they were great. They tasted just like store-bought. Better, actually. After last month's challenge I swore off buying graham crackers and I won't be buying ladyfingers any more, either. It's not like I ever bought either of those things anyway, but still, you've got to take a stand sometimes. 


Cooling off. This must have been the first batch, because there are definitely not enough here.

There were so many questions and concerns about the mascarpone. Some bakers couldn't find non-UHT cream, others couldn't get the cream up to 190℉, still more couldn't get it to curdle when the lemon juice was added. Some had results that were too thick, some were too thin. I could go on and on and on. Anyway, there was a great discussion in the forums about it all. Should the bowl be suspended above the water, or placed directly in the water? Many speculated that only metal bowls should be used, as glass wouldn't allow the temperature to get as high as necessary. As usual, I ignored most of the advice, and made mine in a glass teapot. As you can see above, it got to the right temperature, and turned out fine in the end. 

Draining mascarpone, meet cooling pastry cream.

Zabaglione before.

And after. I whipped mine while it was cooking, so it was very fluffy instead of custardy. 

The filling consists of mascarpone, the pastry cream and the zabaglione. Once these were combined I added whipped cream and rum. I think the recipe called for rum extract, but, there was no chance of that happening in my kitchen. Not with a nice bottle of Appleton Estates calling my name...


This is the large, coffee tiramisu that I hope is still in my freezer when I get home. If not, no worries M--I know that watering plants is hard work! I just might make another one for Easter. If you're still reading, thanks! Tune in in a day or so to see what I made with some of the leftover challenge ingredients. Oh, and go here to see what kinds of tiramisu the fantastically creative Daring Bakers have come up with.

80 comments:

judy said...

oh Mary, that looks super delicious and very pretty! A gold medal for sure!!

Judy

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Your individual serves in different flavours look lovely. Like the cocoa design one very much. You really want to milk that cow? LOL
Thanks for baking with us.

chef_d said...

Wow they are all very pretty. But the raspberry amaretto looks so heavenly!

Anonymous said...

Stunning tiramisu. Very nice presentation. Well done :)

showfoodchef said...

Thanx for stopping by mine, and I adore yours. The jellies are such a great idea and I'm partial to the mandarin idea, too. Fabulous job.

Evelyne @ CheapEthnicEatz said...

I love the varieties you made, must more patient the n me obviously lol. Congrats

anchan said...

Wow, you really went to town with this! :-) They all look amazing, and I love the flavours (especially the raspberry and Amaretto), how delicious! Where did you live in Japan?

Suz said...

I've been admiring your tiramisu creations for a while now - each time I have a peek on the forum thread. All of them sound and look gorgeous, but I think - like you - the raspberry one would be my favourite. I think I might just put up soggy sponge for that!

Deeba PAB said...

WOOT Mary, wonderfully done. You've put the Tiramisu on parade... just look at the beautiful flavour combos and and different servings. I love the berry and amaretto one too, but would have difficulty in making a choice if you ever choose to offer me some (teehee). GORGEOUS! So glad you ejoyed the challenge. I loved being host too! {HUGS}

Dharm said...

Ho Ho! SO many versions! This is just fantastic. Arent you the industrious one! Splendid! Just Splendid!

Rachel said...

Wowo so many flavours and each eaqully good. Would be difficult to make a choice!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Wow I absolutely love your tiramisu versions! :O In fact if I were presented with them all, I don't think I'd be able to pick just one! :D

Anonymous said...

I love all the different combinations you did. I'm always a traditional kind of girl, but I wouldn't mind trying one (or all) of those!

Anonymous said...

All these different versions - YUM!

Lori said...

Your Tiramisu's are all so beautiful! I also did the Raspberry version! The Amaretto in the zabaglione was magnificent. I froze the Tiramisu that I made in the Trifle dish and cannot wait to have company to serve it to!

Maya said...

Your tiramisus look delicious. I just remembered I made mango jelly which I planned to cut into cubes and strew on the plate, just like yours, but then completely forgot about it! Oh well that's what you get when you have so many different parts to one recipe :)

Lauren said...

Wow. So many flavours, so little time. I think I would try the raspberry one first. Or maybe a parfait. Or maybe the mandarin one.

Gorgeous job on this challenge! Good luck finding a cow to milk for next time ;D.

Jen said...

I love all your variations! I contemplated a Nutella version of my Tiramisu but in the end, was tired of washing dishes and just went with what I had :)

Jen (Food and Whine)

Löu said...

I love the one with Madarin ! The Orange is abolutely beautiful and the presentation too !
Funny snail/spiral Savoiardi :)
Great challenge.

Monika said...

Wow! Great job. All of your versions look awesome, especially the raspberry one.

linda said...

Wow, you made so many delicious variaties!
Love the coffee rum jellies, wonderful idea!
Love your cocoa pattern a lot too!

zorra said...

Wow, very creative, well done!

astheroshe said...

WOW ..all yours are very good! I would do a raspberry ! Looks yummy, and i like your giraffe pattern.

shelley c. said...

Those look SO good, and I am sure they were delicious! The mandarin one looks gorgeous, though I think I would have a very hard time choosing between them! Great job on the challenge.

Audax said...

Wow great advice always go by what you think I had no problems with the cheese and your final versions look wondrous. Well done great job on this challenge. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.

Amy Lucille said...

What a beautiful job, I'm looking forward to making the cheese again.. I already used mine all up!

Becca said...

Wow, I love all the different versions! I definitely will try a raspberry version in the future. Can't wait for March!

Kristin Halbrook said...

These look fabulous! I agree with the fruit cutting through the creamy richness. Nice work!

tariqata said...

I love the different combinations of fruit, especially the mandarin and amaretto, not to mention the individual servings!

Jeanne said...

Raspberry amaretto sounds so good! I love your swirled savoiardi, and all of your pictures look amazing. The part about the cow makes me laugh. Sign me up for the extreme DBs!

storyscribe said...

All your components look perfect. My mascarpone never got there and I think I overcooked by zabaglione. That raspberry one looks amazing.

Gala said...

Wow so much variety! Well done on the unique flavors!

Lisa said...

Such creative thinking with your flavours - they all look just beautiful.

Wic said...

what amazing things you did with this months challenge. stunning and delicious.

Lot-O-Choc said...

ooh wow all of your tiramisus look delicious. I love the look of the raspberry one, so yummy!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comment on my post :) Your pictures are great, really like the look of your raspberry version. Maybe next time, I too will try to be a little more imaginative...

Bread and Jam said...

Oh goodness, you made so many wonderful variations! GREAT job. They look very delicious. :)

zita said...

My..o... my, all the different flavors...the original is my favorite :)

Unknown said...

Ohhh, all the flavours sound gorgeous! Yes, I agree the raspberry would be lovely. My friends also think I have a skewed idea of what is quick and easy in the kitchen. But isn't it fun!

Valerie Gamine said...

Wow! I love all your tiramisu creations but I think my favourite is the mandarin amaretto. Lovely job Mary, and congratulations for not procrastinating. ;-)

shaz said...

Love all the great combos, especially the raspberry amaretto! And those pics of the parfaits are so cute, as if the fingers are giving the "peace" sign - was that intentional? :)

Hannah said...

So many impressive variations - I can't believe how much time and thought you put into this challenge! They all look great, but I think the mandarin would be my favorite, it sounds so refreshing. :)

Beth said...

Yummy Amaretto! I wish I would have thought to use that. One of my all time favorites. Great job!

Nina said...

Oh my my looks fantastic.Many versions of the yummy Tiramisu.Awesome:)

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction said...

Love all of your different variations on Tiramisu! Beautiful!!

vibi said...

Oh! My... what a fantastic array of deliciousness! I wouldn't know which one to choose, really! They're all so gorgeous looking! You have great talent Mary! Bravo!

Natalie said...

wow. .so many flavors.. and they all sound delicious :)
hard to believe you've done it all in only 4 days.. well done!

Unknown said...

wow, so many stunning flavors, great job :)

Lara (Tartacadabra) said...

Hi Mary, well you made the perfect Tiramisu's (or is it Tiramisi ;-) ), they all just look gorguous and the combination of flavours so well chosen!! Me quito el sombrero (I make a deep bow :-) ).
Best regards from Spain!
Lara

pierre said...

it is a real festival of tiramisu congratulations !! Pierre the french foodie based in Paris

Jenny said...

Your flavor combinations sounds so so good! I love amaretto too, but I've never thought of combining it with raspberries (which I also love). Wonderful job!

Angelica said...

Wow, great job on all the variations! I would never had known you made all these in just a few days. I have to say the madarin tiramisu intrigued me the most. Especially with the juice on the side, i neeeed to scrape some off and eat some!

Debo said...

Your tiramisu look so cute, your variations are just lovely! I love how you take pictures of the process, I need to start doing that too. Thanks for the heads up about the mistake in my blog addres, I think it's now fixed ;D

Jen Rose said...

Everytime I happened upon your tiramisu pics in the forum over the past few days I've paused to take a second look. I really love the decorated top on your original one.

Maybe I'm just missing it, but do you have a recipe for the coffee-rum jelly - that sounds way too yummy!

juliana alonso dorola said...

lovely versions! nice pictures

Kel said...

Thanks for stopping by, and for the well wishes. I love all your versions of terimisu and think that I will have to try the raspberry one - YUM. Wonderful photos - beautifully done!

The Cooking Ninja said...

Beautiful presentation! I love your raspberries version. I've to try it once raspberries are in season. Btw: you can make mascarpone with UHT cream with 30% fat - I did my mascarpone successfully with it.

Unknown said...

Such neat variations. i bet the raspberry was great. I hope you have some left, too!

Valérie said...

Incredible flavour variations! And your presentation is fantastic! I'm so impressed!

Simones Kitchen said...

I love all your various flavor variations! Very very nice!!

Coconut and Vanilla said...

Great pictures!
Just saw your recipe of the apple turnovers. I have to try them soon, they look so delicious and I love apple turnovers!

innBrooklyn said...

wow, so many variations, so impressive... wish i could taste them!

Eyes Bigger Than Belly said...

So so beautiful1! I am so jealous that you had the time (and imagination!) to do so many flavours!! I always say that I will try harder each month... my third month now and I am still only just getting them done by the skin of my teeth!! Yours are just lovely - can't wait to see what you come up with for the other challenges!! :)

Sarah said...

It took a mere 4 days to make all of the goodness posted? I am so impressed with your creativity, results and beautiful photography. Your tiramisus are amazing. Thank you for the comment.

Faery said...

Wow so many flavors and they all look delicious and lovely, your coffee-rum jelly looks so yummy

Mary said...

Thank you all SO much! I really, really enjoyed this challenge and can't wait for the next one.
:)
marymary

Arti said...

looks great..the pics are so nice..want to bite into it...

www.myyatradiary.blogspot.com

Alisa said...

Oh wow, it looks really delicious! So many great taste combinations! I think the raspberry and the mandarin one could make it on to the Pompi menu - tastewise as well as for the looks :)

Poires au Chocolat said...

Looks very yummy.

I like the idea of making parfait with the spare filling - I froze my classic one to cut slices etc and I think I like it more when it's frozen than defrosted!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

You did a great job! Each of them looks fantastic!

Cheers,

Rosa

Kelly-Jane said...

You've done a great job there, well done :)

Jonna from Hel said...

Beautiful tiramisus, love the combinations of flavours!

ice tea: sugar high said...

Love all the variations. The chocolate one looks almost like a dinosaur egg, LOL. Very well done

Lisa said...

So many beautiful versions of tiramisu and I especially love the mosaic topping of cocoa in the first one. Amazing job!!

TeaLady said...

OH WOW!! Those are fantastic. So creative.

Ms. Meanie said...

Lovely, just lovely. I love all the variations. I can't believe you did all that in 4 days. Amazing!

Baking Addict said...

wow such amazing flavours and beautiful photos.

Leslie said...

Beautiful! I am amazed by how many versions you did. They all look perfect!

fairy_mi said...

Wonderful job on the challenge!
I like the different version you've done, it looks great
and the flavors combination sounds amazing!
Great job!
and greetings from Israel
Inbal

MandyM said...

I love your different versions! I've never use Amaretto in Tiramisu but I really must give it a try, I can imagine how well it goes with the other flavours.
Beautifully done! :)