Eggnog Tiramisu and Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

The Last Hurrah

Some folks stretch the truth. I, on the other hand, stretch Christmas.

Ever since I was a little girl I have made every shameless attempt to stretch Christmas. I'd beg my mother to leave up the Christmas decorations until after my birthday (which is well into January). I'd tell her I'd even be willing to take all of the decorations and the tree down by myself. At seven years old, this was physically way out of the question, but she'd let me keep the decorations up anyway.

Even before that, when it came time to open gifts I'd stall as long as possible. As gifts were being handed out from under the tree, I'd sit quietly while everyone else opened theirs. I sort of tried to hide amongst the chaos. The real idea was that each person was handed a gift and then they were all to open it. My method involved watching everyone else open their gifts and I'd neatly stack mine in front of me, the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top. Sometimes I'd have quite a little tower of gifts going before someone would say, "Hey look, she hasn't opened one gift yet." And then my mother would gently encourage me to get a move on and open a few. I think, with the exception of the gift we all chipped in to buy for our parents, one of my presents was always the last to be opened.

In my usual behavior, I came up with a way for you to be able to stretch the holiday along with me. If you can still get your hands on a carton of eggnog, you're in business. Most stores keep it on the shelves through January, so you should be able to get some. This is a wonderfully light, creamy Tiramisu. Try it.

P.S. Have you heard the one about being able to make peanut butter cookies with peanut butter, sugar and one egg? It's no joke! Even better, I've tried it with Splenda and it works! So for the low-carb crowd, I've included a second recipe to start the dieting season off with a treat! But first...the Tiramisu.

Eggnog Tiramisu

1 cup eggnog
2 Tbl brandy
1/4 cup dark rum
18 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp espresso powder
3 Tbl of Kahlua
3/4 cup hot water
1 Tbl sugar
1 pre-baked angel food cake
1 4-oz bar of good chocolate
   (Ghirardelli or Valrhona are two options)
1/2 tsp nutmeg

In a mixing bowl, pour in the eggnog, mascarpone, brandy and rum. Set aside. In another bowl, whip the whipping cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Then whip the eggnog mixture until combined. (I did it this way so you don't have to clean the beaters in between.) When both mixtures are ready, fold the whipped cream into the eggnog/mascarpone mixture.

Now take your hot water in a cup and put in the espresso, sugar and Kahlua. Stir until dissolved. If you do it in a coffee mug, it's sort of like making a cup of espresso, but you are not going to drink it. Instead pour it into a shallow dish.

You are now ready to assemble the tiramisu.

Find a pretty serving bowl that you don't mind putting in the refrigerator. Cut your angel food cake into one-inch slices. Dip a slice into the espresso mixture and then put it in your serving bowl. Repeat this with half of the cake and line the edges of the bowl with the sopping cake pieces.

Now pour half of your rich and wonderful cheesy whipped cream mixture on top. Take a grater and grate half of your chocolate on top of this mixture. A fine or medium grate will do fine.

Do another layer just like the last one. When you've finished the second chocolate layer, jazz it up even more with your sprinkle of nutmeg.

Refrigerate until just before you serve it. You can take it out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes ahead to allow the flavors to come forward. If you make this in the morning, you can serve it the same day. Serve in a pretty wine glass or dessert dish. This isn't a pretty presentation. I call it sort of a slop but it tastes so good! If you want to be fancy, you can garnish with raspberries and a sprig of mint.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Bonus Recipe: Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
    (You can even use carb-conscious peanut butter.)
3/4 cup Splenda
1 large egg

Mix all three ingredients with a spoon until well combined. Drop by heaping teaspoonful or even tablespoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet. Use a fork to squish them down to the height you like. You can make the traditional crisscross pattern with your fork or vary it. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. You can decide how browned you like your cookies. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before you remove them or, if they are “medium rare,” they might fall apart. I like mine chewy so that's how I do them. This recipe will make about a dozen cookies depending on how large you make yours.

Enjoy!

Zola

Editor's Note: Recognize these recipes and column? If you do, it might be because they were originally published January 3, 2005. We will be back with a brand new column and recipe from Zola next week. Happy New Year!