Culinary Adventures with Camilla

To end the evening for R's fundraising dinner on Sunday, I wanted a dessert that looked impressive, could be served family-style at the table, and was either Italian or Greek. I considered trays of baklava until I realized that I've never made that. And this was not a time to experiment.  So, I landed on my fall-back: tiramisù. It was a hit. Pare the amounts down for the servings that you need. I needed to serve a crowd, but this can easily be cut in half or thirds.  Also, you want to assemble this dessert the night before you're serving so that the flavors have a chance to combine and the cookies soften. Ingredients  serves 30 6 packages of lady finger cookies (I only used 5-1/2) 3 C + 1 C espresso or strongly brewed coffee 1 C liqueur (I used a chocolate whiskey for this version) 12 eggs, separated into yolks and whites 12 T organic granulated sugar five 8-ounce tubs mascarpone cheese 6 C organic heavy whipping cream unsweetened cocoa pow...

Picture this: I walk into a room with a piece of paper and a pen. "I'm going to the store to pick up groceries for tomorrow. What do you want? Anything at all," I say. I get a blank stare in response and, then, a quizzical, Why?  So, I write the number 43 on the piece of paper and hold it up. Oh, is that tomorrow? "Yes. Tomorrow is your birthday and I'm taking requests for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert." Most people would jump at the opportunity to name whatever they want to eat for an entire day...from my kitchen. Seriously. The boys make requests down to the snacks on their birthdays. But my husband just looked at me and said, "I can only think of two things right now: tiramisù and beer." Fine.  Twenty years ago, I took my new boyfriend on a birthday camping trip. On the morning of his 23rd birthday, he woke up and told me that he was going to marry me. I almost left him there...on the bank of a river. I'm glad I didn...

Though I had originally planned to make cremeux for Nonna's birthday dessert, I heard - through the boys - that she wanted Tiramisù. Okay. I learned how to make this in Italy...from a woman who didn't speak English. That has to be authentic, doesn't it?!? The other thing I learned from her: use what you have...don't run out to the store if you already have something that will work. So, last night, I didn't have brandy. I used a mixture of Grand Marnier and Jenn's homemade apricot liqueur. That's definitely not traditional, but I think the flavors worked well! Layer 1: ladyfingers moistened with an espresso + Grand Marnier and apricot liqueur mixture (with a 2:1 ratio) Layer 2:  zabaglione  (4 egg yolks + 4 T organic granulated sugar cooked over a double boiler until frothy) + 4 egg whites beaten until peaks form + 1 T apricot liqueur Layer 3: 1 tub marscarpone cream + 1/3 C espresso Layer 4: unsweetened whipped cream + un...

 After watching the very disappointing tiramisù demonstration aboard the Star Princess, I've been craving my version. I learned how to make this in Italy...from a woman who didn't speak English. That has to be authentic, doesn't it?!? Layer 1: ladyfingers moistened with an espresso + brandy mixture (with a 2:1 ratio) Layer 2: zabaglione (3 egg yolks + 3 T organic granulated sugar cooked over a double boiler until frothy) + 3 egg whites beaten until peaks form Layer 3: marscarpone cream + 1/3 C espresso Layer 4: unsweetened whipped cream + unsweetened cocoa powder