Recently, most of the
United States, and the world over, fell backwards one hour in time due to the
observance of Daylight Savings. The idea
for it was first offered up by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but it wasn’t until
London builder, William Willett, caught the attention of Parliament in 1907
that it was taken seriously. In his
pamphlet, "The Waste of Daylight", he wrote, "Everyone
appreciates the long, light evenings. Everyone laments their shortage as Autumn
approaches; and everyone has given utterance to regret that the clear, bright
light of an early morning during Spring and Summer months is so seldom seen or
used." In 1975, the Department of
Transportation did a study on energy usage on summer lighting usage vs. winter
usage indicating less electricity was used for lighting during long lit summer
days, while more was used in winter due to longer darkness. While this study makes me say, “Thank you
Captain Obvious”, it kept the Daylight Savings process running strong,
exceptions being Arizona (except for the Navajo, who do observe daylight saving
time on tribal lands), Hawaii, the overseas territories of American Samoa, Guam,
the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin
Islands.
I don’t know about most
people, but I know several, including my husband and myself, where this travel
backwards, or forwards, into time does not do a body good. Waking up at 7am, opening the curtains to
have sunlight glaring into the eyes definitely shocks me into full
consciousness! Then there are the pets
who normally would still be sleeping while I happily have my first cup of
coffee in peace and quiet. Oh no, the
second they see the first glimmer of light it’s, “Mommy, mommy, mommy; feed us;
it’s been forever since we last ate.”
Remember, animals cannot tell time via a clock on the wall. Then there is night which happens to show up
around 5:30pm, just in time for dinner; yet the darkness only makes me want to
put on pajamas and dive into bed. Oh, in
about a month I’ll be used to this new routine, but for now I find it hard to
rely on artificial light when sunlight is much more stimulating.
Ah, well speaking of coffee,
and with the holiday season always requiring luscious desserts after over
indulgent feasts, I’d like to share a recipe for Tiramisu. Tiramisu (Italian meaning “pick up me”) is a
coffee flavored custard dessert; a layered dessert which could be compared to
an English Trifle, made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped
mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, dusted with cocoa. Ladyfingers are crisp cookies, sometimes
called biscuits, similar in form to Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies. They are
made from a sponge cake batter, but more flour is added to make the batter firm
enough to hold its shape after being piped onto cookie sheets for baking. While they can be found in most supermarkets,
an excellent recipe for baking them at home comes directly from one of the best
sources of baking know-how, "The Joy of Baking".
Mascarpone originated in
the area between Lodi and Abbiategrasso, Italy, southwest of Milan, probably in
the late 16th or early 17th century. It is a fresh, very rich cow’s milk
cheese; double or triple cream (60% to 75% milk fat). Its texture resembles a
sticky pudding and it is the color of cream. While it is widely used in
desserts, such as the Italian dessert called Tiramisu; it can be used in a
variety of recipes. In Italy, a favorite preparation is savory, mixing the
cheese with anchovies, mustard and spices as a spread for breads. By itself, it
can be served as an enhancement for fruits, coffee or cocoa; or added to such
Italian dishes like lasagna, stuffed shells or manicotti. While it can be purchased in stores or
online, it can also be pricey. However, there is a way to make a suitable
substitute.
Substitute for Mascarpone Cheese
Combine 16 oz. softened
cream cheese, ½ cup heavy whipping cream and 5 Tbsp. sour cream; mix thoroughly
until smooth and creamy.
Now to put these two
ingredients together and make a dessert which makes all right with the world,
even Daylight Savings blues.
Tiramisu
3 large eggs, separate
yolks and whites
½ cup sugar plus ½ tsp
1 cup espresso coffee,
cooled
2 Tbsp. cognac or brandy
16 oz. mascarpone cheese
(or substitute from above recipe)
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
powder
60 lady fingers, toasted
Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl,
combine egg yolks, 1 Tbsp. espresso, ½ cup sugar and liquor. Use mixer to beat
ingredients together for 2 minutes; add cheese and beat until mixture is
smooth.
In another bowl, combine
egg whites with ½ tsp. sugar; beat on high with mixer until egg whites can hold
a peak. Gently fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
Pour remaining espresso
into a rimmed dish; lightly dip the lady fingers into the espresso, making sure
to coat both sides. On the bottom of a 2 quart round dessert bowl, place 15 of
the lady fingers (rounded side down), put another 15 (rounded side outward)
around the sides of the bowl. Begin layering by spreading 1/3 of the cheese
mixture on top of the lady fingers on bottom of the bowl, 15 lady fingers
(rounded side upward), 1/3 of mixture, final 15 of lady fingers (rounded side
upward), final 1/3 of cheese mixture. Sprinkle the cocoa powder over the final
cheese layer. Cover with plastic wrap
and refrigerate overnight.
Makes 8-10 servings.