Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Roasted Veggie Pesto Bread



 Slice open a French loaf of bread. 
Spread on some pesto and ricotta cheese. 
Pile on some roasted veggies, maybe some grilled chicken. 
Sprinkle a little cheese on top. 
Pop it into the oven to heat through.
Dinner is served!



Roasted Veggie Pesto Bread
adapted from Budget Bites

1 loaf French Bread
Pesto
Ricotta cheese
roasted veggies (I used zucchini, carrots, onion on this day)
grilled chicken
mozzarella cheese

Slice loaf in half length-wise and place on baking sheet
Spread each side with 2-3 T pesto
Spread about a 1/2 c of ricotta cheese on top of pesto
Combine grilled chicken and roasted veggies (pine nuts would be good, too!) and divide evenly between the two halves
Top with mozzarella cheese
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 min or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Tiramisu

Everyone should have a great tiramisu recipe in their repertoire. 
You just should! 
This one is altered from the back of the ladyfingers I bought. 
They are Alessi Savoiardi Cookies (I found them at Cub Foods) and it was a-mazing! 
It takes a little time, but the nice thing is that it tastes best the next day, so it's a great make-ahead dessert. 
And let's face it, it looks pretty darn impressive! 
Maybe you want to make it for Mother's Day?

Tiramisu

zabaglione cream
5 egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c espresso

In the top of a double boiler, beat eggs and sugar together until it is pale yellow in color.
Gradually add espresso and beat continuously.
Scrape bottom and sides occasionally and cook 6-10 minutes or until soft mounds can be formed.
Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap making sure to touch top of cream with the wrap to avoid a skin from forming.

1 c whipping cream
4 T sugar
1 lb mascarpone cheese (I substituted with 16 oz cream cheese + 1/2 c whipping cream + 5 T sour cream)
1 recipe of zabaglione (above)
3 c espresso or other strong brew coffee
1 T vanilla
1 14oz pkg of Savoiardi cookies (ladyfingers)
3 T cocoa powder

Whip cream with 2 T of sugar until soft peaks form.
Fold in mascarpone (or equivalent) and zabaglione and mix until well blended.
Cover and chill for 1 hour.
In a small bowl, mix espresso 2T sugar, and vanilla.
Arrange 16 cookies on bottom of a 9x13 pan. (i had to break a few to fill in spots)
Carefully spoon coffee mixture over each cookie so they are well saturated, but not falling apart. (about 2 T)
Spoon 1/3 of the cream mixture over the cookies.
Sprinkle with cocoa powder until covered. (works great through a sifter)
Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with cocoa.
Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours, but best overnight so that the cookies can soften and absorb all that yumminess!