Weeble

[bzarcher]

...I can't decide what to make.

There is SO MUCH STUFF I can suddenly make.

I have no idea what to start with. I keep going "Yeah!" and making a shopping list and then going "Ooh, but wait I could do..." and making another list and then thinking of something else...

Comments

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

...and he was never heard from again.

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

I live! But I will have a funny story to tell in a moment!

[dasubergeek.livejournal.com]

Go make Alton Brown's homemade marshmallows (which require a Kitchenaid type mixer).

Oooooooooooor... you could make my tiramisù, which doesn't technically REQUIRE a Kitchenaid but boy is it helpful: the recipe is zabaglione + mascarpone (or gum-free cream cheese) + whipped cream + coffee-dipped savoiardi, as follows:

ZABAGLIONE

Whip 8 egg yolks in a metal bowl, then whip in 1/2 cup sugar and whip until lightened and ribbony. Whip in 1/3 cup marsala wine, then set over a pan of simmering water and whip until it coats the back of a spoon -- set in a sink with several inches of cold water and whip until cool.

MASCARPONE

500 grams of the stuff and no, a pound will not do. If no mascarpone, try gum-free cream cheese, goat cheese or Neufchâtel cheese.

WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup of it, whipped to stiff peaks with 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract, then whip in 1 packet unflavoured gelatin melted in 2 Tbsp. boiling water to stabilise it.

COFFEE

2 cups of it -- espresso or dark-roast drip (I use a French press because I cannot be arsed to pull 16 shots of espresso) -- mixed with 2 Tbsp. Amaretto and 2 Tbsp. sugar while hot, and allowed to cool a bit

COOKIES

32 savoiardi (ladyfinger biscuits). If you have none you can use sponge cake but it won't be remotely the same dessert anymore. Savoiardi come in packets of 12 so you will have four left over.

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

...

OK, the tiramisu is so next weekend's thing.

After the frosting and cake I just made due to Happy Accident (to be detailed), I'm probably going to make some of Alton's stand mixer pretzels and maybe a couple loaves of white bread.

Do you have any attachments for your mixer? Any you'd recommend or avoid?

[dasubergeek.livejournal.com]

I do, but I've never used any of them. I don't grind my own meat (my butchers do it for me or I chop it by hand with the spine of my cleaver for applications that require more finesse).

I would like the pasta roller attachment, because while hand-stretched pasta has a texture that takes sauce like nothing else in the world, it is the most gigantic pain in the arse ever. That's the only one I would bother with, but I don't have the money at the moment for it (since there's a perfectly fine, if elbow grease-intensive, free workaround available).

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

*nods* The grinder is probably going to be a good one for me since I can smoke and mess around with Charcuterie here, and it'll make that a lot easier. I'm probably going to do some reading and go to town.

[dasubergeek.livejournal.com]

ASSEMBLY

You need an ungreased 9" x 9" pan.

Whip the mascarpone in your fancy mixer, then scrape down and beat in the zabaglione. Scrape down and stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture to combine fully. Fold in the next third of the cream, then the last third.

Put the coffee in a wide dish and dip each savoiardo for a quick count of three on each side, then IMMEDIATELY transfer to the pan. You should have two rows of 8 savoiardi (you may have to goosh the eighth a little). Put half the cream on top and spread gently, then make another layer of savoiardi and another layer of cream. Cover with aluminium foil, put in the fridge at least four hours but overnight is frankly better. Dip the last four savoiardi (the leftovers), top with the scrapings from the zabaglione and cream bowls, dust with cocoa powder, and eat right away, and then dust the top of the tiramisù with cocoa powder just prior to service.