Good kumquat,

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Yes, please, that would be great if you are willing to share. I've been trying to find one with weight for the oranges--these are so big, I think they could at least replace 2 regular ones, but I would like to be sure. The ones I have seen that look good just specify a quantity of oranges.

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Matthew, If you want a fantastic marmalade recipe for your Seville oranges, I'd be happy to pass mine on.
Annie

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Just thought I would share that I bought some Seville oranges at Whole Foods tonight. I've been waiting for them to come in. These must be 2-3 times the size of the ones I bought last year. They are huge! Not sure what I am making yet, but probably will start with curd and go from there.

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Ok, I too thought it was the tiramisu you made. Although I'm sure you could turn out one just like that. Love the colour of the yolks of the hard boiled eggs.

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oh, I am confusion. This tiramisu is the one I ordered at this lovely pizzeria in Schio (Veneto, Italy). Luca's family gave me a pizza party. Pictured, his parents, uncles, cousin Anna with newlywed husband.

Here the photos, and YES: it is true pizzas are personal size! Don't I look stuffed? I was the only one that ordered dessert, I had to, did it for the blog so I could share the tiramisu picture. Also, another picture of plain boiled eggs, with the heavenly yolk color (photo not retouched).

http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/PizzaSchio.html

The tiramisu looks delicious because I was very careful eating it, in such way that my spoon marks will look great for this photo.

BTW, a bottle of San Pellegrino is less than half Euros, and it is a 1.5 litters. When Luca's parents came to Hawaii (for 2 months), I stocked cases of San Pellegrino. Luca's Dad was refusing to drink my expensive water. He was also a bit upset that my bottles were only 750 ml, such a waste on glass for the environment was his thinking. I agreed.

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What a lovely golden color--you must be getting beautiful egg yolks.

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ladyfingers imported from Italy are as good as homemade biscuit!

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Thank you Hector. I'll give it a try. My only concern is making the Biscuit. I have never made it before BUT I will do it, if that's what I have to do. I'm sure it will be better than the store bought ladyfingers. Will let you know how it turns out.
By the way the picture of your tiramisu looks delicious.

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Fellow blogger Rozanne asked me to share "my" Tiramisu recipe. I have been studying Pie and Pastry Bible's Tiramisu Black Bottom Tart closely, and indeed it is a spectacular way of presenting this famous dessert. Matt posted above a beautiful picture.

My take of the perfect foundation to hold tiramisu is to use none. Make Tiramisu Al Cucchiaio (spoon tiramisu) on a glass bowl and serve it spooned out.

There are additional conditions I implore. Tiramisu is most definitely Italy's best known contribution to the world, but also most imitated and "faked."

1- I urge if you must make Tiramisu at home, please use imported mascarpone cheese, from Italy. It is an expensive product, but worthy. I say if you won't do this, then best to just pick up your tiramisu from a bakery. The flavor of imported mascarpone from Italy is non-imitated-able.

2- Bake your own sponge cake sheets. Biscuit de Savoie is just perfect. If you don't, then use imported ladyfingers, from Italy, which are more available and often found at reasonable price. ANY OTHER option won't do, please no angel food, no ready made sponge dessert cups, no non-Italian ladyfingers.

3- Regarding marsala wine, dark rum will work just as fine. Bacardi Gold is my recommendation, Meyers will work although it can impart a more fruity taste.

4- Use "real" espresso or if not Medaglia d Oro is the closest substitute. I would make shots with my Bialetti moka stovetop pot (inexpensive) or with my Francis Francis (expensive) machines. To achieve the "strong" taste but "not-bitter" please choose Illy or Lavazza, both widely sold in the USA. Any other imported espresso coffee from Italy is also great (there are so many in Italy). I haven't found any USA roasted espresso coffee, most are too bitter; to my knowledge there are only one or two roasting machines in the USA that are capable of doing a medium roast Italian way.

5- Organic egg yolks for the mascarpone cream shines in flavor. Use if you can. Organic eggs for the baking of the biscuit, hmmm, no real difference in flavor really, as you have baked the organic!

Gamed? Really, it isn't that hard. The contents of this message are as close as I can to get approved from my Italian friends, who would tell me "why are you trying to share all our secrets!"

Pictured, is a mascarpone/sabaglione tiramisu in a bowl. This is just one of the many "real" tiramisu found in Italy.

http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/TiramisuAlCucchiaio.html

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What a fabulous yellow treat from the fabulous yellow kitchen :). (btw, great idea)

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a treat for you

http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/PassionCurdCream.html

This passion fruit curd cream filling was kept frozen. Then I thawed it in the refrigerator for 8 hours, then room temp for 1 hour. It piped like a dream on frozen lemon cups.

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good! a full teaspoon of sugar is only 10 (ten) calories, a full teaspoon of curd is even less calories, it is really nothing.

Sometimes I wonder why people bother using Splenda, Sweet & Low, or such as individual sugar substitutes packets, for coffee or iced tea at a restaurant, when 10 or 20 or even 30 calories of real sugar is really nothing (except for diabetics, of course).

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ok, you are going to hate me since I am still mistaken by been skinny (I was, but now I am 25 lbs less skinny) and don't you hate that skinny people are the ones counting and telling you all about calories?

Well, you need to remind yourself that even if 0% fat, if yogurt is sweetened it is like 100% sugar, as well as the curd. So a cup of this is about 300 calories???

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To anyone who hasn't tried Seville orange curd I suggest you grab some and whip up a batch! I just made it for the first time last night and WOW, it is an amazing flavor. I believe the taste stayed in my mouth for an hour!! It is a knock your sock off goodness :)

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There is a wonderful picture of Elliot posted under the most recent trip Rose made to Italy. Please do a search under Tuscany, the picture is worth!

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Merci beaucoup, Matthew!

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Kyle, it is in The Perfect Scoop.

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Rose, Can you point out Elliot in the demo photos? I have always wanted to see the man who read your dissertation of mixing of flour instead of scoffing at it!
Matthew, where is the orange ice cream recipe? BTW, I was lucky to run into David at the Richard Lenoir market in Paris last Sept. and was glad to meet him in person. If you get there, his recommended patisserie Ble Sucre(in the 12th near the Marche Aligre) is the absolute best.

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Cara Cara oranges are often found in California. They are sometimes called "pink" oranges, they have a deep peachy pink color, are very sweet and juicy. They would make a lovely curd.

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Cara Cara oranges are often found in California. They are sometimes called "pink" oranges, they have a deep peachy pink color, are very sweet and juicy. They would make a lovely curd.

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Osage - thanks for the tip!

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Another US grocery chain, Trader Joe's, now has Tarocco oranges. They are a wonderful, sweet blood orange--not colored on the skin, just inside. Most popular orange in Italy--highest vitamin C content, according to Wikipedia.

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backing up the tread a bit:

I think Cara Cara oranges are more similar to navals than they are to blood oranges. They have a deeper dark orange/red colored interior than navals and are a bit more sweet - we love them!

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Matthew - Me too.... don't know how I missed these photos until just now. The photos are amazing! I love your tarts and that Angel Food cake is phenominal looking! I want to grab a fork and dive right in!

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Oh, saw this late! Matthew - looks so delicious! Mmmm... Love the pics

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I just recently made some Blood Orange Curd Pielets. I have to say I prefer it over Lemon Curd. Just the right amount of sugar, unusual color and I froze some zest for future use.

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Matthew, one more thing, whatever your photographic style is find your own and use the style that you best enjoy using, and people will love you!

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Matthew, the white background is a given tool, it gives you nice light bounce back to the back of your object thus casting a shadow in front. I find that shadows are great on food photography, makes things more 3D, appealing, and naturale.

Now, you next step is to take objects on site, add some plating, utensils, furniture, props, etc. Makes food tastier and more reachable.

Always a work in progress!

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Thanks Rozanne and Hector. I've been taking food pictures for almost a year now (Feb. 25th), so I'm happy to hear you think I'm improving Hector. I don't know anything about photography, so it has just been point, click, and try to learn along the way.

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Looks delicious Matthew. You are an awesome baker.

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Matthew, your tiramisu tart, mango orange rose, and the angel, are beautiful.

Even more beautiful is your photography, as I see you are photographing different now for better!

Who is eating all this?

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Thank you for taking the time to resurrect my post Rose!

A couple of other items to report:

1. I didn't have an orangina bottle, but a limoncello bottle, with a similar bulbous shape, worked well too. I also found that the cake is easier to secure and position when the bottle is covered with a piece of foil. The cake in the photo is upside down per the instructions in the recipe, but I’ve always liked the way angel food cake looks bottom-side up, so I left it that way.

2. When I made the Mango Rose tart last year, I needed to use agar agar in place of gelatin. It was difficult to find reliable information on how to use agar agar (AA) in desserts where the entire filling is not heated. I found that AA sets faster than gelatin when heated in the small amount of water. I ended up using a hand blender to incorporate it, but I wasn't satisfied with that technique.

I am excited to report I tried something different with the tiramisu tart that is actually easier than working with regular gelatin. This will be of interest to vegetarians and people who do not consider gelatin pareve, but also anyone who wants to try a simpler method than using gelatin. You beat the whipped cream, and then at the point when you would normally add vanilla, sprinkle the powdered AA on top and mix it in (in equal amount to the original gelatin)--no heating required. It folds easily into the other mixture, and as you can see in the photo, sets up nicely for slicing.

You can find powdered AA in most Asian markets for under a dollar (I used a Thai brand). For acidic mixtures, like the orange curd filling, you need to use more AA because the acid interferes with gelling. I'm still working on finding the best amount to increase, and I will report back later. Incidentally, I was perusing a copy of Food Arts in the bookstore last night, and they had an interesting article on hydrocolloids that are so trendy in food right now (agar agar and methylcellulose are two examples).

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As I mentioned in a previous post, here is what I made with the Seville orange curd, but first one dessert earlier. I made the tiramisu tart from the P&PB for Valentine’s Day:

Tiramisu Black Bottom Tart

Tiramisu Tart Slice

I had a leftover sponge layer and Seville oranges, so I decided to also make the Love for Three Oranges Tart:

Love for Three Oranges Tart

Orange Tart Slice

Seville, Valencia, and Navel Oranges

Finally, I had enough leftover egg whites from the two tarts to try Rose’s new angel food cake. I also had some leftover orange zest and juice, so I made orange sour cream ice cream (David Lebovitz) to accompany the cake.

Wondra-ful Angel Food Cake

Orange Ice Cream with Cake Slices

The angel food cake has a texture unlike any other I have tried. It is very tender and not at all dry--the crumb also seems more compact, but at the same time very light. I wasn’t sure, but the tartness of the orange ice cream was actually a great accompaniment to the sweetness of the cake.

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As I mentioned in a previous post, here is what I made with the Seville orange curd, but first one dessert earlier. I made the tiramisu tart from the P&PB for Valentine’s Day:

Tiramisu Black Bottom Tart

Tiramisu Tart Slice

I had a leftover sponge layer and Seville oranges, so I decided to also make the Love for Three Oranges Tart:

Love for Three Oranges Tart

Orange Tart Slice

Seville, Valencia, and Navel Oranges

Finally, I had enough leftover egg whites from the two tarts to try Rose’s new angel food cake. I also had some leftover orange zest and juice, so I made orange sour cream ice cream (David Lebovitz) to accompany the cake.

Wondra-ful Angel Food Cake

Orange Ice Cream with Cake Slices

The angel food cake has a texture unlike any other I have tried. It is very tender and not at all dry--the crumb also seems more compact, but at the same time very light. I wasn’t sure, but the tartness of the orange ice cream was actually a great accompaniment to the sweetness of the cake.

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Wikipedia has some interesting information on blood oranges vs Cara Cara oranges. Apparently they are not quite the same. Somewhat different ancestry and a different molecule causes the red color. Sounds like they would be worth trying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_orange

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara_cara_orange

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Hi Rose,
This is an off-topic question. I have always wondered, is home-made butter a 1:1 substitute for commercial butter in stuff like cakes, buttercream, etc?
Thanks.
Helena

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Soap should wash off the stuff that humans coat the fruit to extend shelf life. This coat must be giving that off bitter taste. A test will be to add bees wax to your curd when using an organic/untreated fruit and see how the taste goes weird.

My oldest brother Miguel, lives in Pasco, Washington State. Every now and then he picks apples at the fields for extra cash; he says that often apples don't hit the market until months or even years after been picked.

I started my college education with 3 years of agronomy in Peru, so these treatments on fruits are no-new-news to me.

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Is Cara Cara oranges the same as blood oranges? I found them at Costco, easy to peal, deep orange skin (not purplish), and the flesh was bloody red. So sweet! Whole Foods is opening in Hawaii in about 6 months, and we can't wait; they are supposed to open on Fall 2007, but ancient Hawaiian burial bones were found on the construction site so takes ages to relocate/permit these.

I am afraid I never use any zest from any oranges or lemons, unless organic (at least). There are too many fungicides sprayed on citrus fruit. And even if organic, I try to find fruit that hasn't been coated with 'organic' wax, as you would be making your curd with wax!

I am happy with my little Kumquat orange tree in my small yard, that doesn't get any spray except for occasional visits from my dog. You can grow Kumquat trees in a pot almost anywhere in the USA. The variety I have is the round fruit, with thinner skin and lots of juice. The most common variety is the longer fruit, with thick skin and little juice, makes good preserves.

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Thanks for the tip Rose. I saw the blood oranges at whole foods too and I almost grabbed a few. Wish I had now. My whole foods just had a small basket with about 15-20 Seville oranges. They were .79 cents each--I bought three and they produced 110 grams of juice, so almost exactly perfect for the curd recipe. I'll post this week what I ended up making with the Seville curd.

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