Demons Like it Hot by Sidney Ayers (Character Guest Post & Giveaway)

Today I'd like to welcome special guest Serah SanGermano, heroine of Sidney Ayer's new book, Demons Like it Hot!

One of my favorite things to make (and of course eat) is tiramisu. There are so many different stories about how tiramisu came to be it can cause your head to spin. Tiramisu loosely translates from Italian as “pick me up.” Considering it contains espresso and cocoa, both which contain caffeine, I can definitely see where it would do some picking up. There are tons of websites devoted to the heavenly treat. One in particular is loaded with recipes and even links to buy the ingredients. (www.heavenlytiramisu.com)  Tiramisu plays an important part in Matthias’s and my story. It’s the treat I decided to make for the reality cooking show I’ve signed up for. Trust me, if I knew I was signing a contract with a demon, I would have never agreed to it.

As yummy as tiramisu is, it really isn’t all that hard to make.  The hardest part is probably the six hour wait for the cake to set. Trust me, it’s worth the wait. Amazingly, it’s one recipe even Matthias with his slightly inept cooking/baking skills can help me with. I still haven’t quite forgiven him for almost burning down my house. He has other skills that more than make up for it though. Not only is he a mercenary, he was a carpenter in his previous life. Cool, huh?

Someone once described the taste of tiramisu as divine. However, that is a serious understatement. The rich mascarpone cheese, fluffy ladyfingers, cream and coffee explode on your tongue like a host of angels bursting into a heavenly chorus. Heck, even that seems like an understatement.

How about some yummy tiramisu to lift you up on a cold winter’s night?

This is a variation of The Frugal Gourmet’s Basic Tiramisu recipe with a Serah SanGermano twist. Instead of the usual brandy, I choose to use Kahlua instead. It helps enhance the coffee flavor of the tiramisu. I also like to garnish each piece with a chocolate covered coffee bean. You can never have too much caffeine, eh?

This recipe has been doubled from its original 8 serving size.  The original recipe can be found here: http://www.heavenlytiramisu.com/rcp-109.htm

Ingredients:

Filling:

• ·        1 cup Espresso or triple strength coffee at room temperature
• ·        1 cup sugar
• ·        ½ cup coffee liqueur (i.e. Kahlua)
• ·        4 egg yolks
• ·        2 lb. Mascarpone cheese (32 oz.)
• ·        1 lb. (16 oz.) Italian Ladyfingers (Savioardi)
• ·        8 oz. Shaved semisweet chocoloate

Icing:

• ·        2 cups fresh whipping cream
• ·        ½ tsp. Vanilla
• ·        4 tbsp. Powdered/Confectioners’ sugar

Garnishes     

• ·        Cocoa Powder for dusting
• ·        Shaved Chocolate
• ·        Dark Chocolate covered coffee beans

Directions

1. 1.      Line the inside of two loaf pans with large sheet wax paper.
2. 2.      Stir espresso, sugar and coffee liqueur in mixing bowl until sugar dissolves. Reserve 2/3 cup.
3. 3.      Whisk egg yolks into this, and add mascarpone cheese. Continue until smooth. 
4. 4.      One at a time, soak ladyfingers in reserved coffee (don't over-soak). Place crosswise in pans, trimming if necessary to layer bottom completely.
5. 5.      Spread on half of cheese mixture, then half of shaved chocolate.
6. 6.      Repeat with ladyfingers, then remaining cheese, then rest of chocolate.
7. 7.      Cover with remaining ladyfingers.
8. 8.      Bring up flaps of wax paper, Wrap pans in plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours.
9. 9.      When serving, invert pans on serving platter, tapping bottom to remove "loafs." Remove paper.
10. 10.  Whip whipping cream, vanilla and powdered sugar together until stiff. Spread over the "loafs."
11. 11.  Dust with shaved chocolate and garnish each slice with one or two chocolate covered coffee bean(s).

This recipe serves roughly 16 people, depending on the size of each piece.

Hope you enjoy! It’s a perfect treat to help ring in the New Year.

Find out more about Serah and her story, along with Sidney Ayers other works at http://sidneyayers.com/ and read an excerpt of Demons Like it Hot at http://sidneyayers.com/DLIHexcerpt.html

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Sourcebooks is giving away one copy of Demon Like it Hot to one US or Canadian reader. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and then fill out the rafflecopter below with  your name and email address. Additional entries are available but not required. 

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