White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle With Spiced Pears Food

WHITE CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU TRIFLE WITH SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• For spiced pears:
• Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with knife, about 35 minutes. Transfer liquid with pears to large bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Boil poaching liquid in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain into 2-cup measuring cup; discard spices in strainer. Cool. Cover and chill pears and pear syrup until cold.
• For mousse:
• Combine white chocolate, pear brandy, and 1/4 cup water in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until smooth (mixture will be very liquidy). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mascarpone mixture until barely lukewarm.
• Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill white chocolate mousse until set, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Pears and mousse can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• For trifle assembly:
• Cut pears lengthwise in half and remove cores and stems; cut halves lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Arrange ladyfingers, rounded sides down, in single layer in bottom of 12-cup trifle dish (about 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep), covering bottom completely (using about 15 ladyfingers). Drizzle 5 tablespoons pear syrup evenly over ladyfingers. Using small offset spatula, spread 1/3 of white chocolate mousse over ladyfingers, making layer slightly thicker around outer edges of dish to allow mousse to be more visible (center of mousse layer will be thin). Starting at outer edges of dish, place pear slices in single layer with curved edges against sides of dish atop mousse, covering completely. Repeat layering of ladyfingers, syrup, mousse, and pears 2 more times. Cover with fourth layer of ladyfingers (some ladyfingers and pear slices may be left over). Drizzle ladyfingers evenly with 5 tablespoons syrup. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate trifle and remaining pear syrup separately.
• Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup pear syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. Working in batches, transfer cream to large pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes all over top of trifle, mounding slightly in center. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Garnish with chocolate curls. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.
• Sift powdered sugar over trifle just before serving.
• * Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.
• ** Available in the bakery or bread section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

WHITE CHOCOLATE-STRAWBERRY TIRAMISU

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. In another bowl, beat cheeses until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Fold in 2 cups whipped cream., Brush half of the ladyfingers with half of the orange juice; arrange in a 13x9-in. dish. Spread with 2 cups cream cheese mixture; top with half of the strawberries. Brush remaining ladyfingers with remaining orange juice; arrange over berries., Gently stir remaining confectioners' sugar into remaining cream cheese mixture; fold in remaining whipped cream. Spread over ladyfingers. Top with remaining strawberries. Refrigerate until serving. If desired, drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving.

INDIVIDUAL WHITE CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU

Steps:

• To make the white chocolate cream: heat the milk over low-medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan. Place the white chocolate pieces in a small bowl and pour the hot milk over. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the sugar into the mascarpone. Set aside. In a small, chilled bowl, whip the cream with the vanilla until soft peaks form (do not overbeat.) Whisk the white chocolate mixture into the mascarpone. Fold in the whipped cream. The texture should be like lightly whipped cream; if it doesn't "flow", thin the mixture slightly by stirring in some milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Spoon the liqueur evenly over the cake slices. Place 1 slice of cake in the bottom of each goblet. Spoon half of the cream mixture over the cake slices (about 2 1/2 tablespoons for each slice.) Sprinkle each with 1/2 tablespoon of the grated chocolate. Slice 8 strawberries and place some slices over the chocolate in each goblet. Repeat the cake, cream and chocolate layers. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
• To make the chocolate leaves: line a plate with waxed paper. In a double boiler over low heat, melt the grated semisweet chocolate. Remove the chocolate from the heat. Using a pastry brush, spread the underside of each leaf with a layer of chocolate. Place the painted leaves, chocolate side up, on the prepared plate. Freeze until the chocolate is set. Carefully peel the leaf off the chocolate, handling the chocolate leaf as little as possible. Return the leaves to the freezer if the chocolate is melting.
• Just before serving, top each tiramisu with raspberries and garnish each with a strawberry half and chocolate leaves.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU TRIFLE WITH SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• Spiced Pears Combine first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with a knife about 35 minutes. Transfer liquid with pears to large bowl and refrigerate , about 3 hours Using slotted spoon transfer pears to plate. Boil poaching liquid in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat reduced to a generous 11/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup measuring cup; . Cool, cover and chill pears and syrup until cold Mousse Combine white chocolate, pear brandy and 1/4 cup water in top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until smooth Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mixture until barely lukewarm Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup cream in a medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill about 3 hours

WHITE CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU TRIFLE WITH SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• For spiced pears:.
• Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with knife, about 35 minutes. Transfer liquid with pears to large bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Boil poaching liquid in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain into 2-cup measuring cup; discard spices in strainer. Cool. Cover and chill pears and pear syrup until cold.
• For mousse:.
• Combine white chocolate, pear brandy, and 1/4 cup water in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until smooth (mixture will be very liquidy). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mascarpone mixture until barely lukewarm.
• Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill white chocolate mousse until set, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Pears and mousse can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• For trifle assembly:.
• Cut pears lengthwise in half and remove cores and stems; cut halves lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Arrange ladyfingers, rounded sides down, in single layer in bottom of 12-cup trifle dish (about 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep), covering bottom completely (using about 15 ladyfingers). Drizzle 5 tablespoons pear syrup evenly over ladyfingers. Using small offset spatula, spread 1/3 of white chocolate mousse over ladyfingers, making layer slightly thicker around outer edges of dish to allow mousse to be more visible (center of mousse layer will be thin). Starting at outer edges of dish, place pear slices in single layer with curved edges against sides of dish atop mousse, covering completely. Repeat layering of ladyfingers, syrup, mousse, and pears 2 more times. Cover with fourth layer of ladyfingers (some ladyfingers and pear slices may be left over). Drizzle ladyfingers evenly with 5 tablespoons syrup. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate trifle and remaining pear syrup separately.
• Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup pear syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. Working in batches, transfer cream to large pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes all over top of trifle, mounding slightly in center. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Garnish with chocolate curls. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.

CHRISTMAS PEAR & CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU TRIFLE

Steps:

• For the cake, melt the chocolate and butter together, then cool. Meanwhile, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and butter and line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin with baking paper.
• Whisk the sugar and egg yolks until very pale and thick, about 5 mins. Fold in the chocolate mix using a large metal spoon. Put the egg whites and a pinch of salt into another bowl and, with clean beaters, whisk until you have medium peaks. Fold this gently but thoroughly into the chocolate mix with your metal spoon, then spoon into the tin and bake for 1½ hrs until risen all over. Insert a skewer into the middle of the tin to test; it should come out with just a few damp crumbs but no wet mix. The cake will sink once it cools. Can be frozen up to 1 month ahead.
• While the cake cooks, put the pears, vanilla pod and 1 litre water into a saucepan. Weigh the pears down under the surface with a small plate, then simmer for 20 mins, covered, until tender. Leave to cool in the liquid if you have time. Cut each pear into 6 long slices, then remove the stalk and the core. Can be cooked up to a week ahead and kept chilled in some of their poaching liquid.
• For the mascarpone layer, half-fill a medium saucepan with water, then bring to a simmer. Put the yolks, sugar and 6 tbsp of the Marsala into a large bowl, sit it over the just-simmering water, then whisk for 5 mins until the mixture is thick and holds a trail for a few secs. Put the mascarpone into a bowl, beat with 2 tbsp more Marsala to loosen, then whisk in the egg mix in 2 batches, until smooth, thick and light. Can be made ahead and kept in the fridge. Keep no longer than 2 days in total.
• You're now ready to assemble the trifle. Cut the cake in half - it will be squidgy, so don't worry if it breaks up. Spoon some of the mascarpone layer into the bottom of a dish, then top with a few pears and a sprinkling of grated chocolate. Put half of the cake on top, then sprinkle with a little of the remaining Marsala and coffee. Spoon more of the mascarpone over, then top with more pears and more chocolate. Top this with the next piece of cake, spoon over more Marsala and coffee, then spoon the remaining mascarpone mix over the top. Finish with the remaining pears. Chill for at least 2 hrs, or up to 2 days. When ready to serve, scatter with the last of the grated chocolate.

STRAWBERRY-WHITE CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU

Steps:

• Melt over hot, not boiling, water the white morsels and 1/4 C heavy cream, stirring until smooth; cool completely.
• In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
• Stir in melted white morsels mixture.
• In a small mixer bowl, beat remaining 1 1/4 cup heavy cream/or whipping cream until stiff peaks form; fold into cream cheese mixture.
• Line side of 9 x 3 inch springform pan with ladyfinger halves, cut sides in.
• Arrange half of remaining lady fingers on bottom of pan.
• In small bowl, combine coffee& brandy; brush half over ladyfingers in bottom of pan.
• Cover with half the cream cheese filling.
• Cover with 1/2 of the sliced strawberries.
• Repeat with ladyfingers, coffee mixture and remaining cream cheese mixture.
• Top with the remaining strawberries; arranged attractively on top.
• Cover; refrigerate until set, 4 hours or overnight.
• Remove side of pan before serving.