Tiramisù...and Pork Tenderloin (not in that order)

For tonight's dinner I present to you one of my most requested dish's, mainly that of my Tiramisù.  Tiramisù means "pick me up" in Italian, which bearing its espresso flavor (Lavazza in my case) and creamy Marscarpone that truly is a pick me up!

 It all starts with a couple of eggs (6-8 to be more precise).  Tiramisù is a no bake dessert that starts with a zaibaione (beaten egg yokes with sugar), a little bit of rum (which Grenada has tons of!), marscarpone cheese and some coffee and chocolate. So to start, separate 6-8 egg yolks from the white.  Place the yolks in a nice big bowl and add 4-6 tablespoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you want it).  Next, you whip it, whip it real good for at least five minutes!  You need to get it to a certain consistency known as the ribbon stage which looks slightly more pale yellow and creamier.  Here is a video demonstrating its consistency.

Next you take the Marscarpone cheese (16 oz or 1 pound if you know your conversions) and little by little (a couple tablespoons at a time) incorporate it into the yolks.  Make sure to stir until it gets nice and creamy. At this point you want to add a shot or so of Rum and a couple of teaspoons of black coffee (espresso).  

You should have at this point made about a cup of espresso (used an over the stove top espresso pot, bialetti style).  Make sure to let it cool to room temp before using it.  Next, set up the tray where you want to prepare it with the coffee in a shallow dish, and the lady fingers next to that.  now its time for the layering.  Just follow the pictures....

There is that deadly Rum that flows so freely on this island!

Start with a layer of the lady fingers dipped in the coffee.  Dip them fast since they'll start breaking up if you wait too long.  Once you have one layer of the lady fingers down, starts pouring the marscarpone/yolk mixture over it.  Once you cover all of the lady fingers, sprinkle some cinnamon, and some chocolate on top. 

In my case, I didn't have a proper chocolate bar but I did have a very special piece of milk chocolate from Hawaii that was gifted to me from my good friend Ellery and his wife Laurel on their honeymoon (Thanks guys!).  This piece of chocolate has macadamia and marshmallow in it is well so that is what this recipe called for!

Then you start adding another layer of fingers and cream once again.  After two layers you should be set, depending on how big a dish you used.  One alternative to this is you can make individual servings in wine glasses if you want to get fancy with it.  In the end make sure to sprinkle all you've got on the top for final presentation.  Set it in the fridge for at least 3 hours and then you have yourself a slice of deliciousness! 

Next up is the pork tenderloin.  There is nothing too special here since the best part about pork tenderloin is the flavor it has and cooking it right is all you have to do.  In my case I'm making it with Hickory BBQ sauce, Old Bay, Paprika, Lemon Pepper, Hawaiian sea salt, red pepper flakes and olive oil as a marinade.  I let it sit for a couple hours in the fridge then got it on the grill (the Foreman grill that is).  

After I seared it on both sides to make the classic zig-zag pattern I put it in the oven at 300 F for 20 minutes with some thinly sliced garlic and the marinade in the pan.    The thing with Pork is that you do not want to over cook it.  There is a precious balance to getting it out of the oven right when its pink in the middle and either letting the inner-heat cook it through or cutting it like that (although you do not want it to lose all its juices).  Pictured below is the final product with all it's juices in tact and ladled on top.

Here is a fun fact, did you know what muscle slice the tenderloin is on the pig as well as in humans?  Take a guess (for all my fellow med students out there)...It's the Psoas muscle, and it serves the same for fillet mignon as well!

The plate was accompanied by a nice Cabernet that Rachel brought...delizioso!

Special thanks to my dear friends Rachel and Meera who shared the meal with me.  Meera is pictured here as she came just in time for dessert and eager to enjoy a piece of the Tiramisù!