Monday, February 2, 2015

Tiramisu Tartlet

When my husband and I first started dating we lived in different cities...

...Well,

...you know what they say about distance making the heart grow fonder...

I think there may be something to that...  

...Or... it might have something to do with dessert...  
You'll have to be the judge...

Back when I first met him...never-ever, had I believed or ever bought into any of that "love at first sight" stuff... it sounded like a bunch of far-fetched mumbo jumbo...

never...  

I thought people who talked about "love at first sight" were a little bit crazy... maybe overstating it... 

...a little...
or more like... a whole lot....  

Surely... these people were mistaken about this phenomenon.

Then... it happened to me.

Yes... it sure did.
 (Because that's how most things work... when you least expect it...that's when the thing you never think is or could possibly, ever in a million years happen...totally happens...it keeps us on our toes...always guessing...)

One April evening, in a church...attending a mutual friend's wedding...

....I spied my prince charming.

It was just like all that silly mumbo jumbo I had heard all those "crazy" love-struck fools going on
and on about..."love at first sight"  ...really??  ...happening to me??  really.

Yep.

It really happened....

... I was smitten from the moment I laid my eyes on him.

It certainly helped (quite by coincidence...) that he was wearing a black tuxedo....
A prince charming always looks best wearing a tuxedo...  

At the time... he lived three hours away from where I was living ...

It was not ideal... it's hard to really get to know someone from a distance...  but we managed...

What worked out especially well, was his new home, also happened to be my hometown... so I had plenty of reasons to visit...

Our dates were always special and he would always take me to the best restaurants...

...My very favorite part of every dinner date (which became a tradition)...was this...



After dinner, when the waiter asked if we would like dessert....he always said "yes".  

Every time....

....and there were many, many dates....

Even if I said "no, thank-you"...he would order a dessert anyway...

...and he always ordered it with two spoons.

...Two spoons....

Every dessert, on every date... he shared with me...

and sometimes... the desserts were so good...I'm pretty sure that I ate more than my fair share....  

...my memory is a little foggy on that... ha

Which brings us to tiramisu...  It was a very favorite of his (and still is) from a local restaurant and...

...with my specially ordered spoon,

I always managed to eat all the sweet mascarpone topping...

So good.


...So...call it what you want   ...love at first sight... 

....the old ordering-two-spoons trick...  

...our mutual love and admiration of delicious desserts...  

Whatever it was, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world... 

Out on the town... with a handsome prince... who always shared his dessert... it couldn't get much better....

Just for fun, I made a batch of little Tiramisu tartlets...the perfect bite...no spoons are required...
...but sharing is still a really good idea....

Easy Tiramisu Tartlet Recipe:

30 fillo cups or baked pastry dough cups (I used Athens brand, pre-made fillo cups)
1/2 cup little chocolate chips, melted to coat inside of pastry/fillo cups
***

Lady Fingers- 1 package
3 cups cooled strong black coffee or espresso
2 TBS coffee or chocolate liquor -optional

***
1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese
1 brick of softened cream cheese
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of heavy whipping cream, whipped
***
2 TBS cocoa powder for dusting
chocolate curls or chocolate dipped espresso beans for garnish

Directions:

"Paint" the inside of the fillo cups or baked pastry with the melted chocolate chips.  Make sure the inside is well coated to prevent the tiramisu tartlets from getting soggy.

Let chocolate set up in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Cut lady finger's in half.  Dip into the coffee/liquor mixture until moistened and then place lady fingers inside the prepared fillo cup.  Repeat until all the cups are filled.

For the topping:
Add the vanilla and confectioner's sugar to the cream.  Beat the cream until it creates stiff peaks.  Set aside.
Mix the mascrapone and cream cheese until light and fluffy and very smooth.  Gently fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is thick and uniform.

Put topping into a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip and pipe topping onto each tartlet. SEE  BELOW: the handy photo and TIP on how to make life easier with the help of a drinking glass...

Dust tartlets with cocoa powder.  Top with a chocolate covered espresso bean or shaved chocolate curls.

Chill tiramisu tartlets for at least two hours.

See the How-To below:


 Above photo shows store-bought lady fingers and the cooled black coffee with liquor.

Painted fillo cups with melted chocolate.

Dip the lady fingers into the black coffee-liquor mixture.  
Be sure to thoroughly moisten the cookie.

Filled fillo cups....waiting for their mascarpone topping....


TIP:  When filling piping bags, use a drinking glass to give you a hand...
Rest the tip and bag inside the glass with the top folded down.  
Spoon in mixture and fold the turned down edge up... 
TaDa...you are ready to pipe the topping...
and if you need to take a break or the phone rings...the drinking glass is the perfect 
holder for the filled piping bag!


Dust the cocoa powder using a small mesh strainer.




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