Tiramisu - at home

QUESTION: I am very fond of tiramisu, which I have regularly at the Marriott in Goa. I want to make this Italian dessert at home. Can you give me its step-by-step preparation?� Leonara Sequeira,Mapusa, Goa.

ANSWER: The preparation for tiramisu will differ from restaurant to restaurant, but there is a standard recipe for it all the same. You will need Mascarpone cream to make tiramisu, and this is fresh cream to which an acid ingredient, such as lemon juice, has been added. The mixture is then allowed to stand for a few days until it clots. Mascarpone has a creamy texture and a slightly acidic taste, similar to sour cream. It can also be flavoured with a liquer.

Note: the coffee that has to be used with this recipe must be espresso or filter, for the best flavour, but filter coffee can also be used.

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup milk
250 gm mascarpone cream
3 egg whites
250 gm sponge fingers (or savoiardi biscuits)
1 1/2 cups cold coffee
1 tbsp cocoa

Procedure:
Beat egg yolks and sugar in a heatproofbowl until light and creamy. Add milk and beat until combined.
Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir over heat until thickened; allow to cool.
Add mascarpone to mixture; stir until combined. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into mixture.
Dip savoiardi biscuits quickly into coffee - they should be moist but not soggy. Place a quarter of the biscuits over the base of a serving dish or a paper-lined loaf pan. Spread with one-third of the mascarpone mixture.

Repeat layering with remaining biscuits and mascarpone. Cover and refrigerate at least six hours, preferably overnight. Sift cocoa over top to serve. If you are using a loaf pan, the tiramisu can be turned out onto a serving plate, sifted with cocoa and then served sliced.

How to make stir-fried greens

QUESTION: I am fascinated by stir-fried greens (with lamb). I�ve had this dish in several Chinese restaurants and it almost always tastes the same. How do I make it at home?� Yasmin ChataiwalaAhmedabad

ANSWER: Stir-fried greens is really a vegetarian Chinese dish, one of the few, but restaurants are know to also make it with shredded lamb. To do this dish at home you will require:

Ingredients
500 gm lamb fillets
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tbsp cornflour
2-3 tbsps oil
1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed2 tbsps soy sauce
2 medium sized leeks, finely sliced
250 gm fresh spinach leaves,
washed and torn
3/4 cups frozen peas
1 tbsps sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock
A dash of chilli sauce

Procedure
Cut the lamb into diagonal strips, about 2.5 cm wide. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper, dip in egg white and dust with cornflour. Heat half the oil in a frying pan or wok; add ginger, garlic and soya sauce and stir fry over high heat 30 seconds. Add lamb.

Mother�s banana fritters!

QUESTION: How do I make banana fritters like my mother used to make them! Somehow, they never turn out right and are always limp and soggy. Dr. Jayshree Ravindran, Chembur

ANSWER: The simplest answer, of course, would be to ask your mother. But, presumably since you cannot do this, here�s the recipe for banana fritters... dug out for you from an old book on Anglo-Indian cooking, since banana fritters is a very Anglo-Indian afternoon tiffin snack.

Ingredients
3 large firm, ripe bananas
2 tbsps plain flour,
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 tbsps ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
60 gm butter,
1 tbsp oil
2/3 cup cream icing sugar

Procedure
Line a tray with greaseproof paper. Cut bananas in half horizontally and then in half again lengthways. Toss banana lightly in flour; shake off excess. Dip banana in egg a few pieces at a time. Coat with combined breadcrumbs, almonds and cinnamon; shake off excess. Arrange crumbed pieces on tray.

Heat butter and oil in large heavy-based frying pan. Add bananas in single layer. Cook over medium heat 2minutes or until underside is golden. Turn fritters over and cook other side for 1 minute. Remove from pan, drain on paper towerls.

Dust banana fritters lightly with icing sugar and serve warm. Serve with ice-cream, if desired.

Avocado & Chese Omelette

QUESTION: At the breakfast buffets of several hotels I find an avocado and cheese omelette being made in the eggs-to-order counter. What�s the recipe for this?� Zahra AdamallyKalubowilla, Colombo

ANSWER: Omelettes are made with various stuffings by chefs in hotels at breakfast buffets. These include your avocado and cheese... provided avocado is in season. However, it can be replaced by mushroom or even capsicum. To make this omelette, you will need:

Ingredients
2 tbsps olive oil
1 medium onion,
finely chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
1 medium avocado, peeled, seed removed
4 eggs
2 tbsps milk
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 tbsp white pepper
30 gm butter
1/2 cup grated gruyere or cheddar cheese
2 rashers bacon,
chopped and stir-fried, optional
2 tbsps sweet Thai
chilli sauce
1 tbsp water

Procedure
Heat oil in a pan, add onion and cook over medium heat until soft. Add curry powder, stir 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; cool. Chop avocado in 1 cm pieces and combine with cooled onion mixture. Beat eggs with milk, salt and pepper. Preheat grill.

Melt butter in small frying pan. When butter is foaming, add egg mixture, shake pan to spread mixture evenly over base. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, lifting edges to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath.

When almost set, remove from heat and top with onion and avocado mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. If using bacon, sprinkle bacon over top. Fold omelette in half. Grill for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden. Slide onto a warm plate.

Mix chilli sauce with water. Drizzle over top of omelette and cut omelette in half. Using an egg slice, place 1 portion on each serving plate.