Cruisin' for Raspberry Tiramisu

My friends Barb and Cathi are cruising on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas this week.  They are visiting islands of the southern Caribbean and are thoughtfully calling me with updates from their ports of call.  Today they called me from St. Maarten to tell me (1) they miss me, and (2) how great their tiramisu dessert was last night at dinner on the ship.  They miss me because I had planned to join them on this cruise but had to cancel due to lack of funds (it happens).  They wanted to tell me about dessert because they thought it would be a great topic for Adirondack Baker.  So I did a little bit of looking (just a little) and found the recipe on-line. 

I wish Barb and Cathi a joyful vacation, and am not too disappointed (I lie a little).  I'll be sure to make the next one!


Raspberry Tiramisu
From Royal Caribbean International Cookbook

1-1/2 cups mascarpone cheese
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar
1/2 cup Kahlua liqueur
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee
1 cup whole milk
36 ladyfinger biscuits
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Chocolate sticks for garnish
Homemade or store-bought raspberry sauce, optional

With a fork, stir the mascarpone until softened; reserve. Bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer in a wide saucepan. Adjust the heat so that the water is at a bare simmer.

In a large heatproof mixing bowl that can sit on the saucepan, combine the egg yolks and sugar. With an electric mixer, beat on high speed until pale in color, about 3 minutes, stopping 2 or 3 times to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Set the bowl over the simmering (not boiling) water and whisk constantly until the mixture is lemony looking, tripled in volume, and very thick. Keep the mixture over the simmering water as you whisk. (Take care that the eggs do not curdle. If necessary, momentarily remove the mixture from the heat if it gets too hot.) Remove from the heat and whisk until cool.

Add the mascarpone and 1/4 cup Kahlua; whisk until well blended. In a chilled mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff but still glossy. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup Kahlua, the coffee and milk. Dip each ladyfinger biscuit in the liquid and use 1/3 of them to line an 8-inch oval dish, bottom and sides.

Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture on top and sprinkle with the raspberries, letting them sink in. Top with the remaining biscuits and mascarpone mixture.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, until set. Place the cocoa powder in a medium sieve and sprinkle it over the top. Garnish with chocolate sticks. Cut into wedges and serve with raspberry sauce, if desired.

Yields 6 servings.

Photo credit: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ecruisereviews.com/MSC/PoesiaPics/Individual-Tiramisu-Desserts-.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ecruisereviews.com/MSC/Poesia1.htm&usg=__-1x9L8TdJSkluMnOXfAw3e-hLIc=&h=306&w=400&sz=11&hl=en&start=3&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=73We_QlhmOrhAM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Droyal%2Bcaribbean%2Btiramisu%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26rlz%3D1T4DKUS_enUS282US282%26tbs%3Disch:1

Craving a Vacation

Now that Punxatawny Phil has predicted just six more weeks of winter it seems I'm  inundated with email messages with swimsuit advertisements and catalogs filled with spring and summer clothes.  All this while wind chills hover near zero and the moon spends more time overhead than the sun.  This is the time of year when I often hear (and think) "If I could only get away to somewhere warm..."  Living in the northeast, this happens to me every February.  Actually, this craving for warmth kicks in before February, usually in early January just after the holidays are over.  Even the idea of going away, escaping the cold and taking a vacation from my life, is so tempting.  I'm almost 56, and though I could never understand the "snow bird" phenomenon, now I do.  My daughter Katie prays for snow.  I pray that we are missed by every predicted storm.  Let them sway to the south, or just miss us to the east.  I don't want to be snow bound.

It didn't used to be this way.  No one found more joy in a beautiful snow fall than I did.  I saw every snowflake as its own sparkling gem.  Now I look at them as little trouble makers who gang up against me and keep me from making it up the driveway, who cause me to distrust other drivers (like my father used to warn:  Look out for the other guy) and to drive like the little old lady I never thought I'd be. 

So, every post card from a warm and tropical place, every commercial for Royal Caribbean, every Lands End catalog with its summer line up of swimming suits makes me long for beach chairs and coolers of cold drinks and I wouldn't even mind a little sand in my swimsuit! 

My friends Barb and Cathi are leaving in March for a cruise to the Southern Caribbean.  I was supposed to be on that cruise but it didn't work out this time.  If I'd never been on a cruise, I probably wouldn't be too disappointed, but I have and it was one of the very best times I've ever had.  I could be happy staying on the cruise ship the entire time and never stepping foot off the big, beautiful boat.  My favorite days were those at sea, up by the pool, with tropical drinks and sunshine and fun conversations with my friends.  If I think about it, somehow this cold winter fades away and I'm transported back to the warmth of that time.  I will go the next time, and hopefully the time after that.  Warmth WILL return to my life!

Photo credit: http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e67/mw239475/Tropical.jpg

Cruise Food!

Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, pictured here, is the first cruise ship I’ve ever been on, and I was reluctantly ready to have a good time when we boarded in March of 2007. Joining me were my friends Cathi and her sister Barb, Toni, Angela, and my sister-in-law Carolyn. I’d always heard the same hesitation from people who’d never been on a cruise: “I can’t imagine being stuck on a ship out in the ocean,” “The last place I want to vacation is on a cruise,” or “I think I’d go stir-crazy in those little cabins.” Well, those notions were very quickly dispelled as soon as we were on-board. We walked into an Oz-like city of a gorgeous Main Street lined with shops, restaurants, and pubs. Sky lights of stained glass drenched the street with sunshine by day, and at night street and shop lights transformed the main boulevard into a Mardi gras atmosphere. There was so much to discover and we needed our full seven days to take advantage of all the ship had to offer.

You might think that when meals are included in the price of a cruise, you’ll be settling for sub-par fare. Not so! If you’ve never been treated like royalty, go on a cruise and you will be. Each table is assigned its own personal wait staff (not a waiter, a staff of attendants to cater to your every whim!). Every time I said thank you, the staff responded with “my pleasure” and meant it. Each evening’s meal concludes with a menu for the following evening’s meal, and choices are made. Change your mind the next day? No problem. You can basically have whatever you want. Our friend Barb requires a gluten-free diet, and they baked her a loaf of gluten-free bread every day! The ball rooms are impressive, with tiers of one elegant dining room over another, all overlooking a magnificent central staircase where, at the end of the meal, the entire wait staff join together to perform for the diners. It’s really amazing. I had the best glass of wine I’ve ever enjoyed on that cruise. It was Santa Margarita’s Pinot Grigio, and I am not even a wine drinker!

Since there were six of us, my friends and I had our own table and were not joined by other cruisers, though if we had to share a table with others, we would have enjoyed it. There’s something about a sense of community that evolves as people travel together. It’s a lot of fun and by the end of the cruise people say hello to many familiar faces.

Room service is always an option, but we loved getting dressed for our 8 p.m. dinner seating (not too dressy, though some did get dolled up!) and also enjoyed breakfast on our own balcony overlooking the ocean or ports of call. There are many options for casual to elegant dining, and the strangest thing to get used to is the café on the main drag where you could choose a snack any time of day, at no charge, ever! For me, one of the biggest highlights of the trip was a guided tour of the fantastic 3-story kitchen by the head chef. Now that was impressive! I bought Royal Caribbean’s cook book just so I can remember the wonderful meals we were served.

I could write about my happy cruise forever, about the comfortable cabins, the live entertainment, the casino, the beautiful pools, the ice skating rink and skaters, the movie theater, the internet lounge, the library, the beautiful shops, THE PORTS OF CALL, being made to feel like a queen, and the overall quality of the experience, but I’ll stop here. If you are considering a cruise and hesitate because you feel it’s too confining or that you won’t like the food, I’m here to tell you to go for it. Even if you never step foot off the beautiful boat, you won’t be sorry!

Photo: Jeannie Eddy, March 2007

Next blog: Basic Muffin Recipe