Classic Tiramisù – For Valentine’s Day

Have you check out my last blog post and video on how to make the parchment pastry bag and white chocolate decorations?  If not, click here to check it out!  I’m very excited to share today’s recipe with you.  It’s one of our family’s all time favorite dessert: Classic Tiramisù!



Tiramisù is an Italian (no-bake and layered) dessert usually made with ladyfingers, espresso, rum, egg yolks, mascarpone cheese, and cocoa powder, etc.  Check out my video tutorial and you’ll see how easy it is to prepare.  If you have concern consuming raw egg yolks, you may use pasteurized egg yolks instead.  You can find them in most major supermarkets in the States.  This Tiramisù is packed with wonderful espresso and chocolate flavors, along with a hint of rum.  We love this dessert because it’s not too sweet and has the right balance of flavors. 



Tiramisù means “pick me up” in Italian.  Why?  Because it’s texture is tender, soft, and fluffy.  The mascarpone cream in between the layers is silky smooth and melts in your mouth.  To ensure your cake will have the right texture, you need to start with the right ladyfingers.  Make sure to use the crispy one from Italy and not the soft, cake-y one from the U.S.! 



Also, be sure to check out my video tutorial on the “dipping time”.  Last but not least, after assembling the cake, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before serving!  I usually leave it in the fridge overnight.  That way, the ladyfingers will have enough time to soften and soak in all the flavors from the other ingredients.  Trust me, your patient will be rewarded! 



I’ll list all the ingredients and tools used below for your convenience!  I hope you’ll try out this recipe and share with your loved ones.  Stay tuned for more fun and sweet recipes.  Stay sweet!




Tools and Ingredients Used:

Ladyfingers (Click here for more information)
Valrhona Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Click here for more information)
Mascarpone Cheese (Click here for more information)
Heavy Cream (Click here for more information)
9 x 13-inch Glass Baking Dish with Lid (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Stainless Steel Spatula for Serving (Click here for more information)
Silicone Spatula for Folding Ingredients (Click here for more information)
Mixing Bowl Set (Click here for more information)
Small Sift for Dusting (Click here for more information)
 

Fresh Mango Crêpe 芒果法式薄餅

Not long ago, I shared a recipe and video tutorial with you for Mango Crêpe Cake.  If you haven’t check that out yet, simply click here.  That is one stunning cake to be shared on special occasions.  But for a more day to day dessert or treat, this Fresh Mango Crêpe 芒果法式薄餅 would be the perfect choice.  Not only it has all the flavor from the Mango Crêpe Cake, but it’s much easier and less time consuming to prepare.



There’s a cafe on the Westside that sells crêpes that my kids and I loved so much!  Whenever we visited the area, we always enjoy our afternoon tea there.  But they are not cheap at all, charging at $8+ for a crêpe?  That could easily be the price of a meal!  So, for economic reason, I make them at home now. Best of all, I know what I’m putting into them and they are always wholesome!  Watch the video tutorial and you’ll agree with me on how easy it is to prepare these crêpes. 



As far as I’m concerned, I’m taking full advantage of this mango season!  It’s way too short and I know I’ll be looking forward to these sweet, tender, and juicy Atulfo mangos when the season is all over!  So, don’t wait any longer, go grab a basket of mangos and make these Fresh Mango Crêpe to share with your family!  Thanks for stopping by today.  Until next time, please take care and eat well!





Tools and Ingredients Used:

Crepe Pan (click here for more information)
Crepe Spreader (click here for more information)
Crepe Maker (click here for more information)
Ninja Blender (click here for more information)
Heavy Whipping Cream (Click here for more information)
OXO Egg Turner (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Core Bamboo 3-Piece Cutlery Set  (Click here to see product information)

Mango Crêpe Cakes 芒果法式薄餅千層蛋糕 – To Celebrate Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is just a couple of weeks away.  Any plans on how to celebrate the mothers in your life?  How about preparing a gorgeous and scrumptious cake for her?  This Mango Crêpe Cakes (芒果法式薄餅千層蛋糕) will sure put a smile on anyone’s face.



So far, I’m totally enjoying this wonderful mango season by preparing all kinds of mango treats.  From Mango Pudding, Mango Mochi Roll, Mango Panna Cotta, to Mango Shaved Ice, etc, all refreshing and delicious.  But this Mango Crêpe Cakes surely is the most special and spectacular among all! 




In this recipe, I used the Ataulfo mangoes.  The Ataulfo Mangos are also known as Manila Mangos or Champagne Mangos.  The flesh from the Ataulfo mango is very tender and smooth.  It’s very refreshing, sweet and have a pleasant floral tone, which is perfect for this dessert.  On the other hand, Tommy Atkins mangoes (which are more commonly found in the U.S.) are overall bigger in size, and the skin color is a combination of red and green even when fully ripen.  Also, the flesh is more fiber-ous and firmer.  Therefore, please only use Ataulfo mangoes for this recipe.   



There are 22 layers of mango crêpes in this cake, each crêpe alternate with a layer of mango cream.  And there’s a layer of thinly sliced fresh mango in every 5 layers of crêpe.  It might sound complicated, but actually quite easy to prepare.  Check out the video tutorial above and you’ll agree with me!  However, I must warn you... since there are quite a few steps involved, the prep time for this cake is rather time consuming.  This is partly due to the cooking and layering of the crêpes.  But fear not!  The steps are nothing too difficult at all.



My recommendation to you is to prepare the crêpes a day ahead and assemble the cake on the next day.  Sounds like a labor of love?  It surely is, but so does the job of being a mother, isn’t it?!  Therefore, I think Mom deserves a gorgeous cake like this!  And I can assures you, this cake tastes even better than it looks!



So, head to the kitchen and make this cake!  Whether it’s for Grandmas, Moms, Mother-in-Laws, or Mothers-to-be, they all deserve a little of our time, as well as this delicious cake!  Life is too short and we should always remember to celebrate.  I just want to take this opportunity to thank my Grandmas, my Mom, and my Mother-in law for everything that they’ve done for me, my husband, and my children.  I’m truly blessed and grateful to have them in my life!   




Ingredients and Tools used:

Crepe Pan (click here for more information)
Crepe Spreader (click here for more information)
Crepe Maker (click here for more information)
Ninja Blender (click here for more information)
Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (Click here for more information)
OXO Egg Turner (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Mango Extract (See similar product here)
Mascarpone Cheese (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
 

Matcha Panna Cotta (抹茶意式奶凍)

 
 
 
 
Are you a Matcha tea lover?  I drink tea everyday and definitely enjoy a cup of matcha every now and then.  Turned out, I did shared quite a few recipes that were made with matcha.  Check them out at the end of this post if you’re interest.       
 

 
 
Today’s recipe is truly a culinary advanture of “East meets West”.  I used a traditional Asian ingredient and incorporated it into a traditional Italian dessert.  Let me present to you, Matcha Panna Cotta (抹茶意式奶凍)!



Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) refers to finely milled or fine powdered green tea. The Japanese tea ceremony centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha.  Nowadays, matcha is also used to flavor foods such as mochi, soba noodles and a variety of Japanese confectionery.  It has a deep, grassy and slightly bitter taste.  It’s extremely earthy and could be an acquired taste if you haven’t tried it before.   If you like this Japanese Green Tea, then you’re going to love this dessert.   



Be sure to check out the list of ingredients and tools used in this post.  Most of the items are available in Asian supermarkets.  If you don’t have Asian markets near where you live, fortunately, these items are widely available online as well!



As you can see from my video tutorial above, as well as the pictures on this post, I’ve prepared this Matcha Panna Cotta in different containers.  You can serve them in small tea cups, small dessert glasses, or ramekins (then turn them upside down onto serving plates as shown in picture above).


 
This is definitely a decadent recipe.  The texture is smooth and silky.  It’s not overly sweet but packed with deep and earthy wonderful matcha aroma.  Did you notice that I topped the panna cotta with a small piece of edible gold leaf!?
 

 
 
 
Ingredients and tools used:
Matcha Powder (Click here for more information)
Edible Gold Leaf (Click here for more information)
Bamboo Whisk (Click here for more information)
Chawan Tea Bowl (Click here for similar product)
Small Bamboo Spoon (Click here to see similar product)
Shoji Paper Window Blinds backdrop (Click here to see product information)
Ceramic Rice Bowls (click here to see similar product)
Bamboo Placemats (Click here for more information)
 
 
Other Matcha Recipes:                                                        
                                           











Matcha Ice Cream (抹茶雪糕)

                                                         
 

Matcha Shortbread Cookies (抹茶酥餅)

Iced Matcha (冰鎮抹茶)



Coconut Shaved Ice with Matcha (Green Tea) Mini Mochi

 

 
Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) Tiramisu

 

 
Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) Mousse Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust

 

 
Homemade Matcha (Green Tea) Pocky 自家製抹茶百力滋

Truffled Mushroom Mac and Cheese 黑松露芝士通粉

It seems like I haven’t posted a savory recipe in a long while.  Of course, my family doesn’t survive on just dessert, even though I know my kids won’t mind that at all!  In fact, I cook every meal of the day, almost every single day!  We only dine out occasionally on the weekends.  What do I cook every day, you might wonder?  I would say 80% Chinese or Asian dishes.  Which most of the recipes are simple and I have them memorized in mind; or I seldom measure the ingredients but simply tasting the dishes along the cooking process.  Hence, the lack of recipe posting on those dishes.

The remaining 20% would be American cuisines or pasta dishes.  And this Truffled Mushroom Mac and Cheese is a frequent dish on our dinner table!  It’s definitely my kind of comfort food in the cooler weather.  Imagine your favorite mac and cheese got “upgraded”, to a truffled version!  It takes your regular Mac and Cheese to a whole new level!  Yet, it’s still super easy to prepare that I make it almost once a week on the weeknights!     

It’s cheesy, gooey, packed with mushroom goodness and a hints of truffle’s earthy aroma.  Have you checked out my YouTube tutorial video on top of this post yet?  I do have to confess, I took a short cut and used a can of organic mushroom condensed soup for the base, which makes this dish super fast and easy to prepare.   But the soup itself is so good, which you can’t go wrong with it at all (you’ll see why if you check out the brand that I used)!  Nope, I don’t own the brand nor have anything associated with the company.  It just happened to be called Amy’s Organic Soup!   

Give this recipe a try, I’m sure it’ll soon be your family’s favorite comfort food as well.  I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and video.  Stay tuned for more easy and scrumptious recipes and video tutorials in the near future!

P.S. If you haven’t enter the worldwide giveaway, click here to check it out.  The deadline to enter is Feb 14, 2016.  Good luck!


Ingredients and props used:

Amy’s Organic Mushroom Soup (Click here for more information)

English Cheddar with Italian Black Truffle (Click here for more information)
CorningWare Etch 9-inch Baker (Click here for more information)

Core Bamboo 3-Piece Cutlery Set (Click here for more information)

Truffle Oil (Click here for more information)

Mango Panna Cotta

Are you enjoying the warmer days of the Spring so far?  Well, it’s been feeling like summer already in Southern California, all winter long!  So, my mind and body have been adopted for summery treats for a while.  Today, I want to share with you one of my favorite summer time no-bake dessert, Mango Panna Cotta. 


 
In this recipe, I used the Ataulfo mangoes.  In Asia, the Ataulfo Mangos, also known as Manila Mangos or Champagne Mangos, are far more popular than the Tommy Atkins Mangos.  In fact, I didn’t even learn about the Tommy Atkins Mango until I moved to the States.  The Ataulfo mango is skinnier, with bright orange/yellowish skin and flesh as shown in my pictures on this post.  The skin is rather thin and the seed is quite flat.  The flesh from the Ataulfo mango is very tender and smooth.  It’s very refreshing, sweet and have a pleasant floral tone, which is perfect for this dessert.  On the other hand, a Tommy Atkins mango is bigger in size, overall, and the skin color is a combination of red and green, even when fully ripen.  The skin and the seed are thicker compared to Ataulfo.  Also, the flesh is more fiber-ous and firmer.  
 
 


The texture of this Mango Panna Cotta is silky soft and smooth.  It’s slightly sweetened with a perfect hint of tartness from the mango.  The vanilla bean panna cotta layer is packed with sweet aroma from the vanilla bean paste and is the perfect combination to elevate this dessert.   This Mango Panna Cotta is so elegant yet pretty easy to prepare.  If you’re hosting any summer party, be sure to “wow” your guests with this refreshing dessert.



Here’s the video tutorial on how to make it.  Please click on the Youtube video below.







I hope you enjoyed watching my video tutorial.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  That way, you won’t miss out on any video and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published. 
 
 
 
I hope you like today’s recipe and video.  Please stay tuned for more tutorials, easy and fun recipes in the near future.  What is your favorite no-bake summer dessert?  Please share it in the comment section below.  I always love to try new things.  Can't wait to hear from you.
 
P.S.  If you haven’t entered the $100 visa gift card giveaway on my blog, there’s still time to enter (Deadline to enter is 6/30/2015).  Click here and leave a comment on the giveaway post to enter.  Good Luck!
 
 


Tools and Ingredients used:

Libby Small Dessert Cups Set: (More information here)
Wilton Mini Muffin Pan: (More information here)
Pyrex 4 Cups Heat Proof Measuring Cup: (More information here)
Mango Nectar: (More information here)
Vanilla Bean Paste: (More information here)
Unflavored Gelatin Powder: (More information here)

Prosecco-Blueberry-Lemon Pops and a Giveaway!

Still remember this gorgeous Nutella Melt Winter Cocktail that I shared (<—click on the name for the recipe) a while ago?  Great news!  The author of Winter Cocktails, María del Mar Sacasa,  just published her new book, Summer Cocktails!   With L.A.’s crazily hot temperature over the past few months, I’ve been longing for refreshing summer cocktails, way before summer arrives!  If you love to host summer parties, this book is a must have and I’ll tell you why.




As I read through the book (yes, I am a nerd and I read cookbooks like they’re novels), this Prosecco-Blueberry-Lemon Pops really caught my attention.  I love prosecco and always have a bottle or 2 chilled in the fridge, in case of emergency!  So, I gave this recipe a try and it was amazing.  You can serve these boozy pops as is, or as Sacasa suggested, add them to your glass of Prosecco to keep your drink chilled and add some wonderful flavors at the same time.  What a great idea!



Summer Cocktails is one of the most gorgeous books that I’ve came across as it’s filled with gorgeous photography and design that will give you lots of inspiration on things to serve for a cool summer party.  Of course, you’ve got to have cocktails and small bits at the party while your guests mingle.  Summer Cocktails includes many familiar classics, throwbacks, and modern updates.  It also covers punches and pitchers that are perfect for entertaining.  The frosty drinks, infused liquors, gourmet snacks sections all include tutorials to guide you through the preparation process!  Best of all, the recipes are clear and very easy to follow.  You’re going to fall in love with this book, just like I did!  




You can purchase your copy by clicking here.  Or, try your luck in winning a copy of “Summer Cocktails”, courtesy of Quirk Books!

Here are the details on how to enter this giveaway.

One lucky uTry.it reader (with an U.S., Canada or U.K. mailing address) will win a copy of “Summer Cocktails”.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what’s your all time favorite cocktail (mine is apple martini). Deadline to enter is May 4th, 2015 by mid-night PST.  Winner will be selected through Random.org and announce shortly after the giveaway is closed.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following (leave a separate comment for each extra entry):
1)  Add me to your Google+ circle here
2) "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page, click here.
3) Pin a picture from this post onto your Pinterest board.
4) Share this giveaway on Facebook (with a link back to this post please)
5) Share this giveaway on Twitter (with a link back to this post please)
6) Subscribe to my Youtube channel here and never miss a video
7) Subscribe to my email updates and never miss a post (see the right hand side bar right below my profile picture)

That’s all and Good Luck everyone!  Please stay cool this summer and cheers!





Disclaimer:  I received a copy of “Summer Cocktails” for the purpose of this review and I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  Quirk Books is providing a copy of the book for the giveaway.  As always, all comments and opinions are 100% my own.
Please drink responsibly.  Health and General Disclaimers.

Apricot and Pistachio Biscotti

Do you love biscotti?  I’m definitely a big fan.  When you make your own, you can simply add any ingredients that you like to these handy-dandy little twice baked cookies.  For my choice of “additional ingredients”, I usually love a combination of nuts, for some crunch; and dried fruit, for a little sweetness and chewiness, in them.  I love this pistachio and apricot combination a lot.  But you can use almonds, hazelnuts, dried cranberries, or orange candied peels, etc.  They sky is the limit!



Biscotti were originated from Italy.  The word biscotti means twice baked, as you’ll find out from my pictorial and recipe below.  Since they are baked twice, they are usually quite crunchy and to the dryer side of cookies.  That’s why they have a longer shelf live and perfect for dipping, my favorite part!  You can dip them in coffee, tea, milk, etc, or pretty much anything that your heart desired.  I love that these cookies are not overly sweet and they are perfectly sized for afternoon tea.



Ready to see how I made them?  Please follow me to the kitchen!

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the sugar, butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. 
3) Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. 
4) Turn mixer to low, add the flour mixture slowly until just combined.



5) Add in the pistachios and apricots until just combined.
6) Slightly flour both hands, transfer the dough onto the silpat lined baking sheet.  Form the dough into 2 equal sized logs.  Approximately 12-inch in length and 3-inch in width. With a pastry brush, brush egg white on both logs.  Bake for 35 minutes or until light golden on the edges. Let it cool on a wiring rack for 30 minutes.
7) Transfer the log onto the cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 3/4-inch thick slices.
8) Return biscotti to the same baking sheet, arrange the biscotti cut side down. Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes or until they are pale golden. Transfer the biscotti to a wiring rack and let them cool completely.  Once cooled, store biscotti in air tight containers.




Super simple, isn't it?  I love that one batch stays fresh and last for a while.  Of course, I’m sure you’ll be the block’s favorite person if you share some with your neighbors.  They packaged and traveled well, too!  So, they also make perfect homemade gifts when the holiday rolls around.  Hey, it’ll be here sooner than you know!



I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and pictorial.  If you love biscotti and would like to try other flavors, check out the links below for more options.  If you like the props and tools I used in this post, check out the links at the end of the post.  Until next time, take care.

 Mocha Hazelnut Biscotti                     Lavender Biscotti                  

                 



  Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti

   

Props and Tools used in this post:

Wood Print Photography Backdrop (Click here to see similar product)
European-Style Ceramic Tea Set (Click here to see similar product)
Elegant Teaspoons (Click here to see similar product)
KitchenAid Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Silicone Pastry Brush (click here to see similar product)
Calphalon Nonstick 2-Piece Baking Sheet Set (Click her for more information)
Small Metal Bucket in Turquoise (Click here to see similar product)