Mother's Day Menu and A "Pick Me Up"

I thought I'd share with you my Mother's Day table and a dessert I made before another week passes by and I forget.

Mother's Day Menu for 10:

• Mini frittatas with broccoli, potatoes and sausage
• Crispy bacon
• Sliced Vine-Ripened Tomatoes
• Strawberries and Blueberries Romanoff
• Biscuits, biscuits and more biscuits
• Cinnamon Honey Butter
• Orange juice and coffee
• and Tiramisu!

I've eaten my fair share of tiramisu over the years, but I've never made my own. I think I was intimidated by having to make the zabaglione cream, though I'm not sure why. I think it's the extra time it takes to make and the dishes to clean up. I'm lazy sometimes :-)

I was originally going to make a blueberry cake, but decided to make this tiramisu instead since it seemed brunch-y and it's not too sweet. That and because about 6 months ago I bought two packages of Alessi Savoiardi lady fingers and they were taking up prime real estate in my pantry. And it just so happened that my mom was looking through a cookbook and pointed out a recipe for tiramisu. Little did she know I was already making it!

I turned to the folks at Cook's Illustrated because they haven't failed me yet. Their recipes are tried and true and their directions are precise. I found this recipe in their current magazine. What I liked about this recipe is that you didn't have to cook anything. It does contain raw egg yolks, but I ain't skerd. Are you? This recipe also calls for Dark Rum instead of Marsala wine (which I didn't have) or Brandy. You can use any of the three alcohols.

I had 4 lady fingers that wouldn't fit in my casserole dish so I made two single-serve portions and my hubby and I ate them for dessert the following day. It was delicious!

Tiramisu from Cook's Illustrated

• 2 1/2 cups strong black coffee, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 9 tablespoons dark rum
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 pounds mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (cold)
• 14 ounces ladyfingers (42 to 60, depending on size)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa, preferably Dutch-processed
• 1/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet grated chocolate (optional)

Stir coffee, espresso, and 5 tablespoons rum in wide bowl or baking dish until espresso dissolves; set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat yolks at low speed until just combined. Add sugar and salt and beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once or twice. Add remaining 4 tablespoons rum and beat at medium speed until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds; scrape bowl. Add mascarpone and beat at medium speed until no lumps remain, 30 to 45 seconds, scraping down bowl once or twice. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside.

In now-empty mixer bowl (no need to clean bowl), beat cream at medium speed until frothy, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until cream holds stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Using rubber spatula, fold one-third of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Set mascarpone mixture aside.

Working one at a time, drop half of ladyfingers into coffee mixture, roll, remove, and transfer to 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. (Do not submerge ladyfingers in coffee mixture; entire process should take no longer than 2 to 3 seconds for each cookie.) Arrange soaked cookies in single layer in baking dish, breaking or trimming ladyfingers as needed to fit neatly into dish.

Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers; use rubber spatula to spread mixture to sides and into corners of dish and smooth surface. Place 2 tablespoons cocoa in fine-mesh strainer and dust cocoa over mascarpone.

Repeat dipping and arrangement of ladyfingers; spread remaining mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers and dust with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa. Wipe edges of dish with dry paper towel. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Sprinkle with grated chocolate or cocoa, if using; cut into pieces and serve chilled.

Serves 12-14

NOTE: You don't want to over soak your lady fingers or they'll be soggy. I turned mine a couple times in the coffee mixture and they were perfect. I did have about a cup of left over of the coffee mixture. You may use it all, but I didn't.

Also, you don't want to make this any more than 24 hours in advance because the lady fingers will get too soft and turn into a soggy mess. I prepared all the ingredients during the day, (the coffee mixture and the mascarpone cream) and refrigerated them. I assembled the tiramisu the night before and refrigerated for 14 hours before serving.

Biscuit #2

This was the second biscuit I made. All three of the biscuits I made involved buttermilk- I love buttermilk and the tenderness it gives the biscuits. They rose beautifully, were tender and moist, but buttery on the outside. In a word- perfect.

These were obviously my favorite of the 3 I made. The recipe does involve kneading the dough and cutting out rounds, but it was fairly simple. These were also the only biscuits to use cake flour. Cake flour is low in protein so it makes a more tender product.

Here is a list of flours and their protein percentages (from Pinch My Salt's blog):

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Cake flours (Swans Down, Softasilk): 7.5 to 8.5% protein

Bleached southern all-purpose (White Lily, Martha White, Gladiola, Red Band): 7.5 to 9.5% protein

National brand self-rising (Gold Medal, Pillsbury): 9 to 10% protein

National brand bleached all-purpose (Gold Medal, Pillsbury): 10 to 12% protein

Northern all-purpose (Robin Hood, Hecker’s): 11 to 12% protein

Northern unbleached all-purpose (King Arthur): 11.7% protein

Bread Flour: 11.5 to 12.5% protein

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This recipe and excerpt as well as helpful tips on making/baking biscuits can be found here.

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits from Pinch My Salt via Two Peas and Their Pod

• 1 1/4 C. cake flour
• 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 C. butter, cut into small chunks
• 3/4 C. buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2. Prepare ingredients: Cut butter into small chunks, place in a bowl and return to fridge. Measure out buttermilk and set aside. Sprinkle flour on a work surface and have extra flour nearby for your hands and biscuit cutter. Have biscuit cutter and an ungreased baking sheet handy.

3. Mix dough: In a medium-large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt until very well blended. Add butter and cut into flour using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in buttermilk and stir lightly until dough comes together in a ball.

4. Knead dough and cut biscuits: Dump dough mixture out onto floured work surface. With floured hands, lightly knead dough a few times until it is fairly well blended. Pat out into a circle, 3/4 - 1 inch thick. Dip cutter into flour and cut biscuits without twisting the cutter. Form the dough scraps into an extra biscuit-like shape instead of re-rolling the dough. Place cut biscuits together on the baking sheet so that the sides are touching. Brush tops with melted butter, if desired.

5. Bake biscuits: place baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 500 degree oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove biscuits to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.

Another interesting thing about these biscuits is that they're baked together with their edges touching, not apart. I've never made biscuits like this before, but it resulted in a light as air biscuits with soft sides.

Look at that lovely puddle.

PB and C

I don't particularly love peanut butter with chocolate, but my brother does! In fact he adores this combo. I love peanut butter shakes (from Sonic) and I love crunchy PB by itself and with jelly on soft oat-nut bread, but I'm not a fan of it together, with one exception- Chex Mummy Mix. I love that stuff!

Anyway, my brother had a birthday a few weeks ago and I made these for him. He is not only a PB and chocolate fan, but he loves biscotti too. I gave him the entire batch and let me tell you, it made a ton! He was one happy camper. His one suggestion for me (because he's full of them!) when I made the holiday biscotti, was to coat the entire bottom side with chocolate, instead of just the tip so you get the chocolate with every bite. So I did just that. My husband loved them too!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti from Food Network

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts
• 1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks
• plus chocolate for dipping, optional

Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined. While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.

Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans-- top to bottom and front to back--about half way though.) Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve.

Makes 5 dozen.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

NOTE: I divided the dough into 2 logs, instead of three. They took a few minutes longer to brown up, but I wanted them bigger and longer (DON'T WE ALL!). They fit on one pan, but they grew together, so I'd advise baking each log of dough on it's own pan lined with parchment, just to make your life a little easier.

Enjoy!

Day 7- Holiday Biscotti

These little biscotti are so photogenic. They're so pretty and so tasty and they're chock full of creamy white chocolate, crunchy pistachios and jewel toned cranberries.

I've never made biscotti before, but I am a pro at eating them :-) My favorite biscotti flavor is French Lavender from Jake's Natural Foods. The lavender is subtle and the candied lemon peel inside the biscotti is chewy and it's just so good! But these biscotti are different. They're more like dessert than they are for breakfast. The cookie itself isn't too sweet, but the half dunked part is.

These are the perfect treat for the holidays. The red and green make them festive, but change out the fruit and nuts to your liking. Almonds, dried cherries and dark chocolate would be good, or dried apricots, pecans and milk chocolate! Mmm, I'm gonna have to experiment.

Holiday Biscotti from Shawnda

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. Amaretto or almond extract
• 1 cup shelled raw unsalted pistachios
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup high-quality white chocolate chips (for biscotti)
• 8 oz high-quality white chocolate (for dipping)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, oil, and almond extract or Amaretto liquor in large bowl until well blended. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in pistachios, dried cranberries, and 3/4 cup chopped white chocolate by hand. Divide dough in half and form into two 12-inch-long strips on prepared baking sheet, spacing strips 3 inches apart. Using wet fingertips, shape each strip into 3-inch-wide log, pressing for even thickness. Logs may look slightly lumpy, but try to make the top as smooth as possible by pressing the cranberries and pistachios into the dough.

Bake logs until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool logs on sheet for a minimum of 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Carefully transfer logs to cutting board and slice about 1/2-3/4-inch thick. Place them back on the same baking sheet with parchment paper (I used the same sheet) standing biscotti upright, spacing about 1/4 inch apart, in 3 rows. Bake until pale golden (biscotti may be soft but will firm as they cool), about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place remaining chopped white chocolate in medium glass bowl. Microwave on a low temp for 30seconds at a time, until smooth. Dip one end or 1 side of each biscotti in chocolate; place on baking sheet. Chill until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

**Makes 2-3 dozen**

NOTE: These can be made ahead of time. Arrange in single layer in airtight container and chill up to 5 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.

I cut mine at a slight angle to make them a bit longer. Also, I only got about 2 dozen biscotti from this recipe because I cut them about 3/4-1-inch wide. Any thinner and they would have crumbled. Allow the biscotti to cool COMPLETELY before cutting. This will help reduce the crumbs.

Also, with all my holiday baking, I ran out of vanilla. Gasp!!! And I lent my almond extract to my mom for her Thanksgiving pie baking, so I used Amaretto instead of almond extract. No wonder these biscotti were so good :-)

Merry Christmas Everyone! See you next year!