Tiramisu

Whilst in Rome two years ago, we found the most amazing restaurant just a stones through from our hotel. It was a quaint but beautiful setting, the staff were so amicable and forthcoming and the food was out of this world! Then there was their tiramisu. My god, I thought I’d died and gone to food heaven! We ended up dining there every evening and of course, always finished our meal with the tiramisu.

This doesn’t have alcohol as I just don’t like boozy desserts. If unlike me, you do like a bit of booze, then add 4tbs of rum and/or masala (2 of each).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated 
• 75g caster sugar 
• 450g mascarpone
• 400ml coffee
• 2 packets of sponge fingers 
• Cocoa powder, to dust 

Whisk 3 eggs whites until stiff, then set aside. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and voluminous, then whisk in the mascarpone, a little at a time, until smooth and well combined. Gently fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture with a large metal spoon, taking care not to knock the air out. 

Pour the coffee into a shallow dish and dip the sponge fingers for several seconds on each side, until it is a pale coffee colour. Then arrange to cover the base of a shallow dish. Spoon half of the mascarpone mixture then sprinkle some cocoa powder on top. Then repeat for the second layer, finishing with the mascarpone and a sprinkle of cocoa.

Cover and refrigerate overnight, you may need to give it another dusting of cocoa if some has been removed from the cover.

Chicken Parmigiana

My favourite cuisine is Italian. Give me all the pizzas, all the pastas and all of the gelatos and tiramisu!! Italy literally has the most amazing food! Oh and wine!!

Chicken Parm is basically breaded chicken, covered in a tomato sauce then topped with mozzarella and Parmesan. It’s soooo good and any cheese lover will love this dish!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 2 large eggs
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley 
• Salt & pepper 
• 4 chicken breasts 
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs 
• 1 cup golden bread crumbs 
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• Olive oil for frying 

For the sauce: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 large onion finely chopped 
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 400g passata
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs 
• 1 tsp sugar 

For the topping:

• 250g mozzarella 
• 50g fresh Parmesan 
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil 

Whisk together the eggs, garlic, parsley and salt & pepper in a shallow dish. Add the chicken to the egg mixture and ensure it’s well coated on each side. Add the chicken to a sandwich bag and pour in the egg mixture, secure and refrigerate overnight.

Once you are ready to cook your chicken, preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease an oven dish with olive oil and set aside. Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and garlic powder into a bowl and dip the chicken in, evenly coating each chicken breast.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until hot. Fry the chicken until golden and crispy.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until transparent, then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the passata, salt and pepper to taste, Italian herbs and sugar. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Add the chicken to your prepared dish. Spoon the tomato sauce onto each chicken then top with the mozzarella, Parmesan and chopped basil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and bubbling, and then chicken is cooked through.

Serve with pasta or a salad and vegetables.