can’t beat it food tv – if you don’t know who they are, I’m truly sorry
Today, I’m across the pond again. I do tend to wake up over there more often than not, you know. Today, I’m in the home of the proper Nog and Trifle (ooo – I like that name for something – file). Which leads me down a memory lane or two………
In this little head of mine, I reiterate, this is the time of year for extreme nostalgia. I revert to visions of my Mother’s kitchen nearly every day. She used to make us a treat which was born over there – egg nog, in the Wintertime. This was back in the day when everyone wasn’t panic stricken over ingesting raw eggs. I don’t recall her recipe but, I do recall the smooth and delicious concoction that may or may not have involved a small drizzle of Seagrams 7. Nogs and Trifles, now there’s a fun road to go down today in terms of culinary nostalgia………
Speaking of nostalgia, (and, I will tie this in, sort-of), I am a huge fan of the old Food Network – you know the one with How to Boil Water, Emeril Lagasse and Too Hot Tamales. In the early 2000s I was penning letters of perplexation to them asking what they were doing to the platform that held so much promise. Nowadays, I’m just flummoxed at almost all of the offerings. Yes, I was a fan of seeing Ina Garten three times a day. Anyone else out there? I wanted to learn something from some of the very accomplished cooks, bakers and bonafide chefs on the channel, not see people run around the grocery store in a panic. I can see that myself at my local Whole Foods. Nowadays, I’d have to say the two channels mostly resemble some trashy iteration of reality tv, which I think is terribly sad – for all people who are really interested in learning to cook but can’t go to culinary school, you could have learned a lot there. Oh well, is this the value of learning these days? I get that it just doesn’t sell as well as reality tv, but I so strongly disagree with the idea of turning food into someone’s vision of silliness. It is these sentiments that make me think I must be getting old and crabby – kind of like when my Dad saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and said, “that’s not music.”. Time marches on. But, if there is tangible evidence of the deterioration of an educational medium, to me, it’s relevant. Ok, I’ll get off my soap box. It’s too early for this.
Anyway, here’s a little list of my favorite tv food stars that I think are truly worthy of stardom, my chief criteria being you can actually learn something substantive from them and/or they offer a truly lyrical essence in the kitchen – several of which were across the pond in origin:
- Julia Child
- Graham Kerr
- Two Fat Ladies – Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright – hilariously steeped in the larder
- Martha Stewart
- Ina Garten
- Gale Gand
- Eric Ripert
- Jacques Pepin
- Madeline Kamman
- Pierre Franey
- Earl Peyroux
- Jamie Oliver
Let me just say that I am truly thankful for Public Television’s contribution to food tv. Without it, where would I be?
Ok, well, you get the picture.
I have to add to this list here the ever-colorful Anthony Bourdain even though I don’t remember him doing a bonafide cooking show – I could be wrong – I seem to have an image of him in a white apron. Yesterday, while I was prisoner in the dentist’s chair, I got to watch an old show of his done in Vienna in the Winter. I was delighted to have this diversion until someone cut a goat’s head off. He is a treasure of an unique sort in the food genre – in my mind as he covers the world with his (mostly) bachelor’s approach to exploration – namely mostly the drinking part seems to come first and foremost, but I confess to learning a great deal from his shows in places I would not likely venture to (Vienna isn’t one of those). I particularly loved his recent show with Fuchsia Dunlop and Eric Ripert).
To get to the point now and to end the rambling, the Trifle shown below would be a great addition to any holiday dinner you may be imagining. There are many great things about trifles that I appreciate – even though I am not normally a fan of the current craze of food in “jars”. I don’t see trifles as food in a jar but, I guess you might say that’s where the idea came from. Anyway, trifles are prepared ahead, something everyone will appreciate in this season. If not this one, try one out. By the way, the chocolate leaves can be just large chocolate curls!
I would be seriously tempted to add something red to this recipe, even though it would compromise the purity of the Tiramisu. Maybe just a few pomegranate seeds when plating so as not to push it too far.
photo courtesy epicurious.com
Tiramisu Eggnog Trifle – recipe courtesy epicurious.com
1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon dark rum
4 tablespoons brandy
12 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
2 cups chilled whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
7 tablespoons Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur
2 6.15-ounce or four 3.5-ounce boxes Champagne biscuits or Boudoirs (about 60 crisp ladyfinger cookies)*
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, finely ground in processor
Chocolate Leaves
Whisk 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup rum, 3 tablespoons brandy, yolks, and nutmeg in metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until mixture thickens and candy thermometer inserted into mixture registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 5 minutes total. Remove bowl from over water. Whisk mascarpone, 1 container at a time, into warm custard until blended.
Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream, vanilla, 1 tablespoon brandy, and 1 teaspoon rum in large bowl until cream holds peaks. Fold in mascarpone mixture.
Bring 1 cup water to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and espresso powder; stir to dissolve. Mix in liqueur. Submerge 1 biscuit in espresso mixture, turning to coat twice; shake excess liquid back into pan. Place dipped biscuit, sugared side facing out, around bottom side of 14-cup trifle dish, pressing against side of dish (biscuit may break). Repeat with enough biscuits to go around bottom sides of dish once. Dip more biscuits and arrange over bottom of dish to cover.
Spoon 2 cups mascarpone mixture over biscuits; spread to cover. Sprinkle 1/4 cup ground chocolate over, making chocolate visible at sides of dish. Repeat with more biscuits dipped into espresso mixture, mascarpone mixture, and ground chocolate in 2 more layers each. Cover with 1 more layer of dipped biscuits and enough mascarpone mixture to reach top of trifle dish. Sprinkle remaining ground chocolate over, covering completely. Cover and chill overnight.
Gently press stem end of largest chocolate leaves around edge of trifle. Fill center with smaller leaves. (Can be made 8 hours ahead; chill.)
Sorry for the ramble today – I’m not sure that this post held together in concept. As the days get shorter here, I’m having more trouble keeping my thoughts cogent. In any event, the trifle is a worthy subject for this collection. Try this one, search all over, or, make up your own. 🙂