Sunday, December 30, 2007

My Christmas Dessert...Or When Is A Tiramisu A Trifle?

From Bon Appétit:


Mine BEFORE Whipped Cream:


AFTER Whipped Cream:


It might have helped if I had read the ENTIRE name of the recipe. I saw White Chocolate and Tiramisu and ran with it. Even though it WAS Trifley-looking, I thought I was making a TIRAMISU.

I was halfway through making it and I realized that the layers of cake, creamy mousse and fruit were much more trifle-like than they were tiramisu-ish. Did it really matter? Kind of. A Tiramisu is usually served on a plate in a neat piece. A Trifle is customarily served in a bowl, perhaps with a bit of cream or custard, admittedly neither of which this needed. Bon Appétit hedged their bets and called their cover dessert a Tiramisu Trifle. I focused on the tiramisu part, but I should have realized it really was both.

I followed their recipe for the white chocolate mascarpone filling, but that was about it. I thought pears were a bit weird, so I used peaches and raspberries. I changed the pear nectar and cardamom syrup to a ginger one that Tyler had used for Peach Ginger Bellinis. (Use 2 tablespoons of sliced ginger, with the skin, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water and you'll still have too much.) I used a pound bag of frozen peaches, which I put into a bowl to thaw after pouring over a bit of the warm ginger syrup. And I didn't garnish it with chocolate curls. My vegetable peeler was totally inadequate for the task. See note below.

I proceeded in the customary manner. Ladyfingers; ginger syrup; white chocolate mascarpone mousse; peaches plus a few raspberries thrown on top…Repeat 2 more times. Top the entire thing with whipped cream stars and garnish. It was really rich, really sweet, and really luscious. In other words, a perfect ending to the day.


Note: Because I was having a hard time with my chocolate curls and I needed to get on with it, I did this instead. I put my failed attempts on waxed paper and melted the chocolate slightly in the microwave. Then I spread it into as thin a layer as I could. When the chocolate was firm, I cut it into diamonds and used those pieces to decorate the mousse. (I thought of this AFTER I served the mousse, so these are my only pictures.)

Watch for my fascinating behind the scenes video on the making of my Tiramisu Trifle...coming soon.


9 comments:

Emily said...

It looks fabulous! I think peaches, raspberries, and ginger, sound delicious.
That looks like a ton of work. I saw that on the cover, and wanted to make it.

PrincessPolly said...

what with these pics and the one's of the eggnog cake on emiline's blog, my sweet-tooth is craving cakes!

Anonymous said...

Looks beautiful! One thing I've found out about white chocolate, if you want to make the best curls/shavings, it helps if the wc is chilled slightly. I think it has something to do with the lower melting point, because regular chocolate of course needs to be at room temp.

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

The restaurant where I'm going to have dinner tonight makes individual tiramisu in a wineglass- the same way I like to make trifles. You say tomayto, I say tomahto, let's call the whole thing off! I love multilayered desserts no matter what you call them. This trifle/tiramisu looks amazing no matter what you call it.

Tracy said...

Trifle ... tiramisu ... either way, it looks gorgeous!

Happy new year!

Sue said...

Thanks Em,
It WAS good.

Hey PP,
Welcome! My sweet tooth is always ready for a good time.

Hi Amanpea,
I chilled it, heated it, chilled it again, breathed on it...to no avail. But I really think it was vegetable peeler, although I've never had any trouble with dark chocolate, so I guess white chocolate curls are more fussy to make.

Hi Shortie,
Have a great dinner! I LOVE that idea. Ina always likes individual desserts too, so she doesn't have to share. Wise woman!

Sue said...

Thanks Tracy,

I love them both separately, so how could you go wrong with them together?

Anj said...

That looks decadent. I love the way you did the whipped cream. Whatever you call it -- I'll bet you can call it most excellent!

Sue said...

Hi Anj,

Don't tell anyone, but I finished the last morsel today...many days after it was probably safe to eat. But it was so good...