Simple Rich Tiramisu

Today, I'm going to post a simple recipe for Tiramisu, from a recipe card that I picked up quite a long time ago, which my girlfriend absolutely loves. We usually buy them ready made from the supermarket as the easier option, but this time I thought that I would make it myself, as I remember this recipe being very tasty, and it is very simple to prepare with very little preparation, too - very much like the Cheap and Cheerful Cheese Cake recipe that I posted a while ago. I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much my girlfriend and I did.

What you need:

900g/ 2lb loaf tin

200ml/7fl oz black coffee

2 tbsp brandy, optional

18-20 sponge fingers

250g/9oz mascarpone cheese

300ml/half a pint, double cream

2 eggs

4tbsp caster sugar

50g/2oz plain chocolate, grated

3 tbsp cocoa powder

What to do:

First, lightly grease the loaf tin and line with cling film. Then mix the coffee with the brandy in a shallow dish. Now dip the sponge fingers into the coffee and brandy mix and arrange sugar side out, vertically along the side of the tin. Now you will need a bit of elbow grease or if like me an electric whisk: Beat the cheese and cream together, then whisk eggs and sugar until thick and fold into the cream mixture. Next, mix the grated chocolate and cocoa powder together and get the loaf tin ready, Scatter a third of the chocolate mix into the tin, top with half the cream mixture and trim the tops of the sponge fingers so they run level with the tin. Then  add them to the cream mix that is already in the tin. Now top the cream with half the remaining chocolate, then the rest of the cream mix, then the last of the chocolate. Now, with the hard part over, all that is left to do is to chill in the fridge for 3 hours. When set, invert the tin onto a plate, peel away the cling film and serve. A cool alternative for these hot summer days is to pop the Tiramisu into the freezer. Leave it for about an hour and you will be left with an almost ice cream like treat.

Happy cooking and enjoy!

Japanese Mirin-Poached Beef

Sorry that I haven't posted for a while, been a bit busy, but I hope that this recipe will make up for it. Once again I found it on the BBC Good Food website. I had half a joint of beef to use, so I looked for beef recipes and found this Japanese mirin-poached beef recipe, that because I already had the beef, was extremely cheap. Despite looking like a complicated meal to prepare, it turned out to be quite simple. I have to say that I have never tasted anything like it and that is mainly due to the unique taste of the Japanese mirin flavouring that has to be added. I thought that I would have great difficulty in getting hold of it, but as it turned out ASDA Online had it in stock, which I was pleasantly surprised about. Anyway enough chit chat, let's get cooking:

What you need:

250g of rump steak or as a cheaper option 250g of beef joint, trimmed off all fat

150ml vegetable stock

3tbsp soy sauce

5tbsp mirin

1 tbsp of golden caster sugar

1 onion, halved and sliced

half a tbsp of chopped pickled ginger

3 spring onions finely chopped

1 red chilli finely sliced

steamed rice to serve

What to do:

Put the meat into the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients (this will help when slicing). Combine the stock, soy, mirin and sugar in a pan, bring the mix to the boil, then turn down and let it simmer. Then add the onions and cook for another five minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the meat as thinly as you can. Add the beef to the pan and cook to your liking. Now plate up and sprinkle the ginger, spring onions and chilli over the dish and serve with boiled rice and a bit of the left over cooking sauce. For this recipe the BBC suggests using rump steak: I used part of a beef joint, and to be honest I would recommend using the rump steak as I had to cook the beef a bit longer and it got slightly tough. Nevertheless it was a very tasty meal experience.

Happy cooking and enjoy.