Raising a Family on a Budget

Home Economics for Real Life

Tiramisu Italiano

I had the hardest time deciding which recipe to share for today’s Tasty Tuesday.  A few people chimed in and said that they were interested in the Tiramisu recipe I had mentioned so I’m going to go with that. I am making this for a dinner party this weekend, so a photo will be up on Saturday.  For now just use your imagination!

Tiramisu Italiano

7 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup marsala, plus 2 tablespoons marsala
8 ounces mascarpone, softened
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup brewed espresso
1 ounce dark chocolate
1/4 cup rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
48 ladyfingers (usually 2 packs)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (for the top) or 1/4 cup chocolate curls (for the top)

Cream together egg yolks & sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Add 1/3 cup of the marsala and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick and doubled in volume (I use my hand mixer for this so I don’t get tired of whisking, and it gets more air into the eggs). Remove from heat, and stir in the mascarpone until completely blended.

In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture to lighten.

In a small saucepan, combine the espresso, chocolate, rum, vanilla, and remaining 2 Tbsp of marsala. Heat gently and stir to melt and incorporate the chocolate. Then, chill the mixture to cool it down, about 15 minutes.

Quickly dip each lady finger into the coffe mixture and arrange ina single layer on the bottom of a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Do not soak the cookies or they will become too moist. Spread half of the mascarpone cream evenly over the dipped lady fingers. Repeat with a second layer of dipped lady fingers and remaining macarpone cream.

Top with either cocoa powder or shaved chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving so everything will set up. You can even make it the day before and the lady fingers will get soft and cake-like.

Toffee Popcorn

I enjoy baking and cooking.  I am not intimidated by different ingredients or techniques.  So this past Christmas, I decided to stray from the usual cookie marathons, and make candy as gifts instead.  The most popular treat I made this year…Toffee Popcorn!

::Ingredients

  • 10 cups popped popcorn (12 cups if not using nuts)
  • 1 cup pecan halves, toasted (optional)
  • 1 cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted (optional)
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine popcorn and nuts.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, honey and cream of tartar; stir until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Cook, without stirring, over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 300°-310° (hard-crack stage).

Remove from the heat.  Stir in vanilla and baking soda until mixture is light and foamy (be careful – when you add the vanilla it will spontaneously boil, so pour it in and step back to avoid the spatter). Immediately pour over popcorn mixture; toss gently using two buttered spatulas or wooden spoons. Spread into two baking pans lined with Silpats or buttered parchment. Press gently to flatten. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

Yield: about 2 quarts.

NOTE: There is a reason that sugar work is referred to as culinary Napalm.  Be careful when cooking and working with your toffee.  Keep a bowl of cold iced water near by at all times so if you get any of the toffee on you, you can instantly plunge your hand into the water.

Homemade Beef Stock

I’ve decided to add a new feature to Raising A Family On A Budget called Tasty Tuesday.  On Tasty Tuesday, I will be sharing a recipe that I have recently made for my family.  This week’s recipe is a basic, but something I have never made before…Beef Stock.

As I mentioned in the fall, we purchase our beef by the side from a local farm about 20 minutes from our home.  The cattle are grass fed and raised following completely organic measures.  We love buying our beef this way, but there is just one problem…No room in the freezer for anything else!

I am completely out of chicken and want to pick up a few packages to have on hand for the remainder of the month, but there is no room in the freezer because of all of the beef.  My fix…take the large box of soup bones & make beef stock!

I have a lot of soup bones, but you can scale this recipe to meet the needs of your family and the amount of stock you want to make.

:: Beef Stock

15 lbs of beef shank bones
4 large carrots, large chop
4 small onions, large chop
5 ribs of celery, large chop
5 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1/2 cup of red wine (whatever you have on hand will work or use water)
9 qts water (36 cups)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
25 peppercorns
6 bay leaves
1 Tbsp dried thyme, crushed
2 Tbsp dried parsley, crushed

Place your soup bones in a shallow pan and roast in a 450 degree oven for 40 minutes, turning once, to brown the meat/bones.

Prepare all of your additional vegetables, herbs, and spices in a large bowl.

When the bones are done roasting, put them in a large stock pot (at least a 10 qt pot).  Deglaze the roasting pan with the red wine, making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Pour the wine and drippings into the stock pot.

Add all of your vegetables, herbs and spices.

Fill the pot with 9 qts of water and put on high heat until it comes to a boil.  Turn the heat to low, and simmer covered for 3 1/2 hours.

Remove the soup bones, and if desired, cut off the meat for later use.

Strain the broth to remove the vegetables and other bits.  Use either a fine sieve or a colander lined with a double layer of cheese cloth.

To clarify the stock, mix together 1 egg white and 1/2 a cup of water.  Pour into hot stock & stir.  Bring to a boil.  As soon as a boil is reached, remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before straining through a double layer of cheese cloth.

Store the stock in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 9mos.

Makes about 8 qts of stock & 4-6 cups of meat depending on the amount of meat on your bones. And, don’t let those bones go to waste…doggies love them!