Tiramisu Parfait #Recipe by Maya Corrigan

For the last week I've been working on the copy edits for A Parfait Crime, the 9th Five-Ingredient Mystery coming out in October 2023. Today I'm sharing a recipe from that book to whet your appetite. Though tiramisu is usually made in a large pan, this recipe makes 6-8 individual servings for glasses, jars, or cups.

Parfaits are layered desserts, though what goes into the layers varies. The creamy layer might be cold or frozen custard, whipped cream, ice cream, or yogurt. Another layer—cake pieces, crumbled biscuits, or crushed cookies—is often soaked in liquor or a flavored syrup. A healthy breakfast parfait usually consists of yogurt, granola or oats, and fruit. 

My sleuth Val's grandfather, who limits himself to making recipes with five ingredients, serves this treat at a rehearsal for an amateur production of Agatha Christie's play, The Mousetrap. 

Ingredients

1cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
3/4 cup cold heavy cream
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons Kahlúa, other coffee liqueur, or coffee syrup
12 crunchy ladyfingers (1 package Savoiardi Italian ladyfingers)

Optional garnishes: unsweetened cocoa powder, shaved chocolate, or raspberries

Note: The sweetness in this dessert comes from the liqueur or coffee syrup. If you leave out that ingredient or if you have a sweet tooth or usually drink sugared coffee, add 1/4-1/2 cup of confectioners sugar to the cream when you beat it.

Make the coffee and set it aside to cool.

Beat the cream in a small bowl (adding any sugar you want to include) until it reaches stiff peak stage. Set the cream aside.

In a different bowl, beat the Mascarpone and the Kahlúa or syrup until the mixture is soft.

Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mix.

Assembling the parfait

Cut one ladyfinger in half or thirds, depending on the size of your glass. Dunk it quickly in the coffee, turning it once, and place one or two pieces in the bottom of the glass. Spoon a layer of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers. Dunk another halved ladyfinger in the coffee and add it on top of the cheese mixture in the glass. Spoon on another layer of cheese. If you have really tall glasses, you may need to add other layers. Always end with the cheese on top. 

Repeat the assembly instructions for each parfait glass. Repeat the assembly instructions for each parfait glass. Refrigerate the parfaits for at least 4 hours. You can keep them in the fridge for as long as two days.  

Serve as is or, just before serving, top with sifted cocoa powder, shaved chocolate, or raspberries.   

 

Do you enjoy parfaits and what goes into your favorite one? 

📚

Maya Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manger Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords.

The 9th Five-Ingredient Mystery, A Parfait Crime, comes out in October 2023 and is available now for preorder. 

A granddaughter-grandfather sleuthing duo take on a perplexing new case in the latest culinary cozy mystery, sure to appeal to fans of Diane Mott, Joanne Fluke, and Katherine Hall Page.

At the site of a fatal blaze, Val’s boyfriend, a firefighter trainee, is shocked to learn the victim is known to him, a woman named Jane who belonged to the local Agatha Christie book club—and was rehearsing alongside Val’s grandfather for an upcoming Christie play being staged for charity. Just as shocking are the skeletal remains of a man found in the freezer. Who is he and who put him on ice?

After Val is chosen to replace Jane in the play, the cast gathers at their house to get to work—and enjoy Granddad’s five-ingredient parfaits—but all anyone can focus on is the bizarre real-life mystery. When it’s revealed that Jane’s death was due to something other than smoke inhalation, Val and Granddad try to retrace her final days. As they dig into her past life, their inquiry leads them to a fancy new spa in town—where they discover that Jane wasn’t the only one who had a skeleton in the cooler . . .

📚

Tiramisu for your Valentine #ValentinesDay #recipe by @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: I adore Italian food. And what’s not to love about butter, sugar, mascarpone, coffee, and chocolate? But I admit, I’d never really liked tiramisu. Not until last fall when we spent a few days in Florence, Italy with my brother and SIL, and took a cooking class. On the menu: individual tiramisu. Tiramisus? Either way, I’m a convert. (Also on the menu: eggplant appetizers, gnocchi, ragu, and chicken a la modenese, served with a lovely chianti. Stay tuned!)

We made dessert first because it needs to chill. As the person at our worktable who accidentally got a bit of yolk into the egg whites, Mr. Right was handed the electric mixer and ordered to whip the whites. (After the chef instructor fished out the stray bit of yolk with a spoon.) He excelled. When the chef returned to our group, he peered at the bowl, then Mr. Right, then turned the bowl upside down. The two British teenagers gasped, but the sparkle in his eye needed no translation: the chef knew – as did the adults – that the whipped whites were going nowhere.

Then one of the British girls stuck her finger in one she made so she would get to eat it. We all obliged. 

But the written recipe we were given – well, let’s just say things were lost in translation. Poor us, we had to experiment so you could join the fun. No shoes or passport needed. 

We had no trouble finding lady fingers in our small grocery, Alessi “Biscotti Savoiardi,” imported from Italy. For the coffee, save a cup from your morning pot or use instant espresso as we did.

What to serve them in? The cooking school had the perfect ramekins, but we decided ours were too small, and we wanted clear glass to show off the dessert. We used two versions: 1 cup prep bowls and squat ½ pint canning jars. Both came with lids for leftovers, a bonus, and both worked equally well. 

Tiramisu is served in many varieties, some drier, some more cake-like. No matter. This one is easy and yummy. Make it for yourself, your Valentine, or your book club and everyone will love you. 

Buon appetivo!

Making a special dinner for Valentine's Day? Going out? (It can be a tough day for some folks. Know that we love you and are glad you're here.)   

Tiramisu

3 large eggs, separated

scant 1/3 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt 

8 ounces mascarpone, softened at room temperature

6 lady finger cookies

1 cup cold, strong coffee or espresso

cocoa powder

Separate the eggs, putting the whites in your mixer bowl and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add two tablespoons of the sugar and a pinch of salt to the whites and whip to stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. 

Add the remaining sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until combined. The mixture will be a beautiful lemon yellow. Add the mascarpone and whisk or stir quickly, until most, if not all, the lumps are stirred in. With a spatula, fold in a spoonful of the egg whites, then add the remaining whites and fold, scraping up from the bottom of the bowl with the spatula, until whites are fully incorporated. 

Put a tablespoon or more of the mascarpone cream in the bottom of each serving dish. Pour the cold coffee into a small bowl. Break a cookie in half and dip the pieces in the coffee – don’t soak them -- then lay both pieces in the bottom of your serving cup or bowl. Top with the rest of the mascarpone cream.

Use a tea strainer or spoon to dust the top of each cup with cocoa powder.

Chill at least two hours before serving. If you’d like, top with mint leaves or a berry, or serve another cookie alongside the tiramisu. 

Makes 6 individual servings. 

From the cover of BLIND FAITH, written as Alicia Beckman (in hardcover, ebook, and audio from Crooked Lane Books, October 2022)  

Long-buried secrets come back with a vengeance in a cold case gone red-hot in Agatha Award-winning author Alicia Beckman’s second novel, perfect for fans of Laura Lippman and Greer Hendricks.

Two women whose paths crossed in Montana years ago discover they share keys to a deadly secret that exposes a killer—and changes everything they thought they knew about themselves. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, continuing in July 2022 with Peppermint Barked. She's the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. As Alicia Beckman, she writes standalone suspense, beginning with Bitterroot Lake (2021) and continuing with Blind Faith (October 2022, Crooked Lane Books).

A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by her website and subscribe to her seasonal newsletter, for a chat about the writing life, what she's working on, and  what she's reading -- and a free short story. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

Guest Author Debra H. Goldstein #dessert #Tiramisu #giveaway

VALERIE (V.M.) BURNS: Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Debra H. Goldstein author of the Sara Blair Mystery series to the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, 

DEBRA H. GOLDSTEIN: When I sold the Sarah Blair mystery series to Kensington, I was told each book needed to contain recipes. I blanched. Sarah Blair, like me, finds being in the kitchen more frightening than murder.

Deciding that Sarah would only make recipes with pre-made or simple ingredients, I found a perfect recipe that was in all the women’s magazines in the mid-sixties: Jell-O in a Can. It was a recipe co-sponsored by Jell-O and Dole pineapple. All it required was Jell-O, water, and Dole pineapple rings. More importantly, the name of the recipe was fun and made readers laugh.

As the series continued, I included Sarah’s simple recipes, but I also incorporated slightly more complex ones attributed to her twin, Chef Emily, or to other culinary confident characters. Many of these recipes were provided, with permission, by friends and readers. My favorite recipe in the recently released Five Belles Too Many, Sal and Laurie’s Tiramisu, is no exception.

TIRAMISU

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

7 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons rum

Brew 4 cups strong coffee

500 gm mascarpone

2 packs lady fingers

½ of a large container of Cool Whip

Cocoa for sprinkling as topping/garnish

Directions:

Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar to the egg yolks and mix until the color of the mixture becomes whiteish. Add the mascarpone and mix for five minutes. Add the rum, remaining 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar, and the Cool Whip. Mix thoroughly.

Using the coffee completely cooled, dip the lady fingers in the coffee quickly, without soaking them. Layer them in a dish and cover them with the above cream mixture.

Dip more lady fingers into the coffee and layer them over the cream mixture. Apply another layer of cream. Sprinkle with cocoa and cool in the refrigerator.

READERS: For a chance to win a copy of Five Belles Too Many (U.S. only), tell me, Jell-O or Tiramisu, and why?

Five Belles Too Many

When Sarah Blair’s mother is a finalist to win the perfect Southern Wedding in a reality TV show competition, Sarah is pressed into service as Mother Maybelle’s chaperone. After the show’s producer is found dead, with Sarah’s greatest nemesis kneeling by the body, Sarah must find the true killer before any other contestants or crew are permanently eliminated.

Buy or gift a copy of Five Belles Too Many from: Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Five-Belles-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496732235 Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/five-belles-too-many-debra-h-goldstein/1140225124

Your favorite indie bookstore.

DEBRA H. GOLDSTEIN

Judge Debra H. Goldstein writes Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series (Four Cuts Too Many, Three Treats Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, and One Taste Too Many). Her short stories, which have been named Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer finalists, have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, Malice Domestic Murder Most Edible, Masthead, and Jukes & Tonks. Debra served on the national boards of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and was president of the Guppy and SEMWA chapters. Find out more about Debra at https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com. You can also connect with Debra at: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraHGoldsteinAuthor

Twitter: @DebraHGoldstein 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debrahgoldstein/ 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debra-h-goldstein

Easy Mock Tiramisu #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

From Daryl aka Avery:

I love tiramisu, but I can't have it out at restaurants because it has gluten in it. Those sweet little ladyfingers. Well, I found some ladyfingers that are gluten-free, and I thought, I must try to make tiramisu for the holidays. EXCEPT tiramisu has egg whites in them, uncooked, and I sort of panicked. I mean, I know all the stories about what can happen when eating raw eggs. I used to make a killer egg nog for the holidays but it was all raw eggs. Sure, I thought the brandy included in the recipe killed any harmful stuff, but after a year or two, I got leery and no longer made the egg nog.  Sigh.

But I found this "mock" recipe for tiramisu from Martha Stewart online. Her recipe uses real ladyfingers and she uses instant espresso. I have an espresso machine!!  Lucky me!  So could use the real thing, and I would imagine it makes a difference.

So for your holiday pleasure, whether for Christmas or New Year's or just whenever, here's a delicious EASY mock Tiramisu recipe to delight your palate.

Enjoy!

Easy Mock -Tiramisu

Gluten-free tweaked from recipe by Martha Stewart online

“Mock” because there are no raw egg whites involved.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup espresso coffee

1 bar (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

15-18 ladyfingers (I used Schär brand, found online and in specialty stores)

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions:

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese with heavy cream and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. It should hold stiff peaks. Do not over-whip or you’ll make butter.

In a two-quart dish (I only had slightly larger bowl to use; my 2-quart baking dish hit the floor on Thanksgiving), spread a few tablespoons of cream-cheese mixture at the bottom.

Make the espresso coffee.  [Martha used instant espresso with hot water; I have an espresso machine.]

In a pie plate, set out one layer of ladyfingers (6-7). Drizzle espresso over them and flip so they get saturated. Some might break. That’s okay. You don’t even be able to tell. Set the ladyfingers on top of the cream-cheese mixture.

Now spread one-third of the cream-cheese mixture on top of the ladyfingers. You might need wet fingers to even it out.

Repeat two more times with the ladyfingers soaked in espresso, setting them on top of cream-cheese mixture, then topping with cream–cheese mixture.  

At the last, it might not look pretty until you spread the cream-cheese mixture to reach all the sides of the bowl.

Then using a sifter, dust the top of the dessert with cocoa. Cocoa makes everything pretty!  

May be served right away or can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day.

Savor the mystery and say cheese!

Daryl Wood Gerber aka Avery Aames

Tasty ~ Zesty ~ Dangerous!

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FUDGING THE BOOKS, the 4th Cookbook Nook Mystery, is HERE!  Click to order.

New in February

FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE

Click to order.

Nonni's Tiramisu

THE DIVA STEALS A CHOCOLATE KISS involves a family with Italian roots. Nonni, the grandmother, and her husband came to the States from Italy and opened a chocolate business. When things go haywire, Nonni asks Sophie for help. She's a darling little old lady whom Sophie finds very difficult to turn down anyway but Nonni makes a deal with Sophie. In exchange for her help, Nonni will teach Sophie how to make her special Tiramisu.

If you're not familiar with this delicious dessert, it's flavored with coffee, but the star of the dish  is definitely the fabulous beaten eggs which are mixed into a marvelously light concoction when blended with mascarpone cheese and whipped cream.

This recipe easily makes enough for an elegant dinner party of eight or so people with leftovers. Use a 9x13 inch pan.

Finding the correct ladyfingers proved to be a challenge for me. I thought I was the only one who remembered soft ladyfingers from my youth. I'm not. I had to ask a friend to bring ladyfingers from out of town, and she feared she had bought the wrong thing because they weren't soft. They're crisp and dry. If you use Whole Foods brand ladyfingers, you will need 1 1/2 to 2 packages. If you use the boxed type, you will probably need more (3 boxes?) because they're smaller than Whole Foods, which are about an inch wide. Either size will work for the recipe. You need enough to make two layers of ladyfingers.

It's my understanding that Italian grandmothers are usually called Nonna, but in the Merano family, the first born grandchild called Nonna Nonni and, as these things often happen in families, it stuck.

Please note that Nonni is from a chocolate family, so she uses chocolate shavings on top of her Tiramisu. The traditional topping is cocoa powder.

Nonni's Tiramisu

1 1/4 cup strong espresso or coffee (3 tablespoons instant to 1 1/4 cup boiling water)
1/4 cup Kahlua (coffee liqueur)

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Marsala wine
2 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2-3 packages of crisp ladyfingers (savoiardi) see above for more information
1 square semi-sweet baking chocolate

1. Mix the coffee with the Kahlua and set aside. Take the mascarpone out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

2. Find a bowl that fits on top of a pot with simmering water. A double boiler would work, or just a bowl and a pot. Bring the water to a simmer. Beat the eggs about five minutes, until they are fluffy. Add the sugar and the Marsala wine and whisk over the simmering water for about 8 minutes. It will almost double in size and be quite thick.

3. In another large bowl, use a spoon to mash the mascarpone cheese against the sides to soften it. Don't skimp on this step. Mash and stir until it's creamy. Pour the egg mixture into it and combine until smooth.

4. Whip the cream and fold it into the egg and cheese mixture.

5. Briefly dip each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture and place in the pan, lining them up so that the pan is covered. Pour half the creamy mixture over them and spread. Repeat with a second layer.

6. Use a grater or vegetable peeler to shave the semi-sweet chocolate over the top as decoration. Refrigerate until firm, preferably overnight.

Doesn't this look creamy and decadent?

Folding in the whipped cream.

Nonni uses shaved chocolate on top.

Delicioso!

Tomorrow is a big day for Sheila and me! We both have books coming out. 

I have one copy to give away today to someone who leaves a comment. 

Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!

Hint: click on the word COMMENT just below where you see the little pencil. 

Good luck!