I’ve been distracted and uninspired lately.
Distracted because my husband and I have been house hunting and where normally my weekends have been spent baking or cooking in my kitchen, we’re now spending them in other people’s kitchens during open inspections. Just the thought of moving has been both exciting and stressful at the same time.
The lack of inspiration always hits me when my Mom, the Blog Monster leaves. As many of you know, she is always a great source of recipes and an even greater source for blog stories! I usually find myself scrounging around for blog material a month or two after she’s gone.
During these times I find that going to a restaurant we’ve never been to or buying a new cookbook helps.
This weekend my husband and I finally made our way to Newtown, a suburb only 15 minutes away from our place, to a restaurant called Bloodwood. Run by chefs Claire van Vuuren, Mitchell Grady and Jo Ward who previously worked in fine-dining restaurant Claude’s, this restaurant offers a more down to earth but every bit as delicious plate-sharing menu. Wonderful food, great vibe, and excellent service, this place was a definite source of weekend inspiration! One stand out dish was their Bloodwood Trifle -(made with strawberries, pound cake, rose jelly, mascarpone and champagne anglaise) which served as the inspiration for my wanting to make this Berry Tiramisu.
For all you out there who are stuck in a rut, I’m giving away two cookbooks that I think are great sources of inspiration, for different reasons. All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me which book you want and why and if you are so inclined, follow me on twitter. I’ll choose the winners on the 31st of October 2010 and will ship to anywhere around the world.
The cookbooks you can choose from are:
1. Bourke Street Bakery – Situated in the hip foodie enclave of Sydney’s Surry Hills is the original Bourke Street Bakery, a cosy nook selling artisanal baked goods of the highest order. The bakery’s long queue of customers waiting for their daily fix is testament to the popularity of their utterly delicious wares – from rustic breads such as their famous spelt sourdough to the flaky pork and fennel sausage rolls and the most addictive sweet pastries like ginger brulée and pistachio tart. Bourke Street Bakery is the ultimate baking companion with clear and concise instructions, aimed at the novice home baker while remaining an inspirational and technical reference for professionals of the crust and crumb world.
2. Donna Hay Seasons – Seasons is a celebration of the most beautiful seasonal stories that have appeared in donna hay magazine. A compilation of the magazine’s most gorgeous location stories, Seasons is a visual delight featuring the best recipes of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Berry Tiramisu
Serves 4, Based on recipe by Jill Dupliex
- 500 grams mixed berries (I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)
- 2 eggs, separated
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 400 grams mascarpone
- 200 grams sponge fingers (Savoiardi)
- 100 ml sweet dessert wine (the original recipe calls for 200 ml)
- Icing sugar to dust
- If you’re using berries, halve them, and mix them with the other berries. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until creamy and then whisk in the mascarpone.
- Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until semi-stiff peaks and fold this into the egg yolk mascarpone mixture. Set aside.
- Dip each of the sponge fingers for a few seconds into the dessert wine. Lay half the sponge fingers into the container and then add half of the mascarpone mixture and half of the berries.
- Top with a second layer of the sponge fingers, the rest of the mascarpone cream and finally the remaining berries.
- Allow the tiramisu to set for around 3 to 4 hours and then dust with icing sugar before serving.
The recipe comes form Jill Dupliex and I have made this before using the regular method and this weekend I made it on the Thermomix.
Berry Tiramisu on the Thermomix
- Using the butterfly attachment, beat the eggwhites on speed 4 for 1 minute. Transfer the egg whites to another bowl.
- Beat the egg yolks and sugar using the butterfly attachment on speed 4 for 30 seconds. Add the mascarpone and mix another 20 seconds, also on speed 4.
- Place the egg whites back into the thermomix bowl with the egg yolk/mascarpone mixture and mix on speed 3 for around 5 seconds, until thoroughly mixed.
- Continue as per above instructions from the third point.
Cooking Lessons from Tomislav – I’ve written previously about the fantastic time we had at Tomislav Restaurant. If you’re keen to learn how to cook some of Tomislav’s dishes – there will be a Masterclass on the 27th of November from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon followed by a three course meal. This will be held at his restaurant in Darlinghurst. Slots are very limited so please contact me (trissa@trissalicious.com) if you are interested and I can pass on your details to the organizers. The cost for the session is $110.00 per person.
Lastly, I’d like to announce the winner of my Savour Chocolate and Patisserie Giveaway! Congratulations to Emma from The Cake Mistress Blog – Kirsten has chosen you entry among the entries. A big thank you to everyone who joined the competition!
This contest has now closed. Congratulations to Angela and Peachy for winning the books!
Hey there Triss!
I stumbled accross your blog a couple of months ago and thought that I should make this on my holidays sometime and when berries are good in summer time!
I made it for New Years Eve dessert for my family and it turned out really well. I thought I didn’t mix the egg yolks and sugar until pale so I went by my own instincts and I think it turned out alright! Does until pale mean until it becomes like a ribbon and the sugars fully dissovled?
I will definitely keep this in my recipe folder for guests to try though!
@Tammy yes pale would mean it thickens to ribbon consistency and the sugar is dissolved. Am glad you did well. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Hi!
I have just started baking! which is how I ended up on your page! 🙂 I would love to win the Bourke Street Bakery book since I have just started baking and am pretty lost with some recipes that are not so clear and the new lingos but am determined to learn and create some beautiful baked goods soon! I am so inspired by the many blogs i have been coming across (like yours!) and would like to start my own blog with the new recipes and baked goods… I want to try everything! and would like to start a baking book collection and it would be awesome to start it with this book that sounds totally awesome! AHHHHH PLEASE PICK MEEEEEEE!!!! 😀 Thanks for the chance to win and thank you for having such an incredible blog to inspire and giving great ideas to new beginners and masters at baking! 🙂
Hi Trissa! I love your blog and have been reading it regularly since Eugene showed it to me. I would LOVE the bourke street bakery book, because last time I went there I spent $54 but that’s not really a reasonable amount of money to be spending at bakeries, better to do it yourself right? Also, I am really bad at baking and would love some inspiration to improve!
I would choose the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook. Sounds so amazing and I am really into baking right now…
cher_theblondeprincess@hotmail.com
I have heard glowing reports about the baked goods from the Bourke Street Bakery and I would love to try to reproduce some of them at home. Winning their recipe book would be awesome. You have an outstanding site!
[…] Don’t forget, there’s still time to join my contest for your chance to win a copy of either Donna Hay’s Seasons or Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook. Details here. […]
Hi
Would love to win the Seasons book then I would be able to cook something special in every season = )
Thank you for the giveaways.
Regards
Albert
I love baking bread … so yeah… Bourke Street Bakery please…
Thank you.
i would DIE to get my hands on the bourke st bakery cookbook. :L i absolutely love their pastries and my best friend’s birthday’s coming up, definitely want to make her something from there.
Wow, tough choice…both would definitely lighten a stream of light bulbs in my cuisine! I’m going to say Donna’s “Seasons” though. Thanks for the chance to win!
I have been drooling over the Bourke Street Bakery book since it first came out! I would soooo love to win a copy…..then I won’t have to buy it myself for a christmas present!
Thanks for this opportunity! Having a chance to read Bourke Street Bakery would be heaven sent!
Thanks so much, once again, for all your inspiring photos, and recipes!
Your tiramisu is truly spectacular, you can believe me, since I live in the home of tiramisu (Italy).
I’d really love to win Bourke Street Bakery: I make bread at home and this book would be a great help! Thanks fot the chance and greetings from Trieste!
How clever! I love that you made a variant of Tiramisu. I would looooove to have the Bourke Street Bakery book because.. well… it’s the Bourke Street Bakery! Also because I just love baking but am still not very good and want to keep improving!
gorgeous tiramisu, trissa–much more appealing than the traditional version. as for the cookbooks, i’d love the bakery book–i’m now working in a bakery and could use some unique ideas!
I love having recipes that are using in-season produce. They are both fresh and are likely to have traveled less too. A Donna Hay Seasons book would be even better than most seasonal books, as it would be using Australian produce. Hopefully I could even use some of my own home grown produce…
I would love to win the ‘Seasons’ cookbook by Donna Hay. . .I’ve always heard her name mentioned in serious cooking circles, but I’ve yet to own one of her cookbooks. Thanks so much for the giveaway and the opportunity to win!
I’ve just stumbled upon your blog and what a beautiful blog it is 🙂 berry tiramisu sounds delicious…. I love Newtown too, I lived there for many years before moving to London, but am looking forward to coming back next year!
Hello Trissa,
I’d love to have a copy of the Bourke St. Bakery book…. We love, love their praline twists and pork & fennel sausage rolls!!
[…] frustrated cook the rest of the time”. I wish I was as frustrated of a cook as you, Trissa. Click for the recipe [Trissalicious] Berry Tiramisu by Trissa of […]
would love to win the Bourke street bakery book =) saw it at Kinokuniya but the price turned me off.
…your tiramisu looks so delish, Trissa!!
Nothing like a dinner out at a great restaurant & a new cookbook to inspire the cooking ideas again. Love the idea of this little Berry Tiramisu, thanks for sharing.
I would love to win Bourke Street Bakery cos I love a book on Baking ! On top of that I have been eyeing at this book for months now but didn’t get it cos the price of it here is so high ! Have been thinking & thinking but didn’t get = (
Would love to win it = )
Thank you for the giveaway.
Blessings
Christine
Great recipe.
I’d love to win the Bourke Street Bakery book as I suck at baking anything.
I’d love to win Donna Hay’s Seasons. I love cookbooks that have recipes for each of the seasons. I enjoy cooking from my cookbooks and it’s always nice to be able to look up a recipe for whichever season is upon us.
joosbornenc at yahoo dot com
Finding a new home can be exciting & stressful at the same time.. I know what you mean. Good luck! Hope you find a place that feels just right soon 🙂
Would LOVE a copy of Donna Hay’s ‘Seasons’… I love her work yet (crazily) don’t own a single copy of any of her publications! I am certain that it would inspire me 🙂
House-hunting could be very tiring…so I keep putting it off…the tiramisu looks very pretty and very delicious!
I would love to win Bourke Street Bakery book. I love baking breads.
The Seasons book looks like it would be just the thing, especially now we’re heading into the darker times where inspiration is needed to light the table.
Definitely Donna Hay Seasons! I love cookbooks with great photos and I am ready for some fall/seasonal recipes!
Side note, your Tiramisu looks beautiful- Great photos!
I follow you on twitter!
Bourke Street Bakery ! Why? Because I love baking, I love rolling the pastry and oh I wish to finally have a cook book specially for bakery. I am a young teenager and when I close my eyes before sleep I dream about having a cozy restaurant/bakery where everything would be baked by myself. Thanks for the opportunity to win it!
Trissa, what wonderful burst of colours! Aesthetically, it sure beats the dowdy brown tiramisu that we normally get. As you know, I had bought Bakery On Bourke Street… Donna Hay, I am still savoring my moments at the store… Maybe the Donna Hay book will ride on my recent inspiration there and imprint it in my mind, forever?
Definitely Donna Hay Seasons! Because of very inspiring photos and seasonal recipes!
By the way, your Tiramisu looks sooo delicious!
I’ve been still reeling from the whole moving thing. It’s been really hard to blog. Seeing your berry tiramisu is inspirational, and I did buy myself a new camera (finally!). Not being able to find the charger to my old camera, plus the fact that my new computer did not recognize my ancient Canon Rebel did the trick. Good luck house hunting!
The berry tiramisu looks just divine! I think I’d love the Bourke Street Bakery Book, I’ve heard so many lovely things about it, and fresh bread is always a winner.
I’d love the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook – baking bread is one of the greatest joys in life! And you got me with the Spelt Sourdough – yum!! Love your blog 🙂
Great summer recipe Trissa, and I hope the househunting is a success sooner rather than later!
I’d love a copy of the Bourke Street Bakery 🙂
I love the Seasons cookbook. It is so stunning and the styling is just beautiful! Oh BTW this isn’t an entry, just a remark 🙂
Wow! Yet another awesome prize!!! I would love Donna Hay’s cookbook, Seasons. She always has easy to follow recipes with easy to find ingredients and they always taste great. I love cooking with fresh ingredients so I’d love to learn more about what is in season and some new ideas on how to cook them best.
Bourke Street Bakery! Definitely! I’ve had the opportunity to try their delicious breads and can’t wait to go back next month!
your tiramisu is “berry” gorgeous! I love donna hay so that book will sit proudly on my bookshelf, if I win it haha 😉
It was an impromptu visit to the Bourke Street Bakery on a hot balmy Saturday afternoon that got me into the goodies sold there. From the sausage rolls to sourdough, they continue to keep us hooked.
I would simply love to own a copy of the Bourke Street bakery Cook book. I now follow a number of Australian blogs (although you know that I think you are simply the BEST!), and a number have raved about certain baked good that have been bought from the bakery. I live in Brisbane, and cannot pop down and pick up a custard tart or piece of carrot cake, however with the book, I have an opportunity to make it for my family and friends.
Thanks again Trissa for a beautiful recipe. If it is like your others, it will be divine.
Angela
I get inspirations from cookbooks and restaurants I went. What a great giveaway! Two of the best Australian Cookbooks 🙂
Oh! I would love love to have the Bourke Street Bakery book.. I have seen so many awesome recipes from you Aussie bloggers!!!
P.S: Love this Berry Tiramisu.. lack of inspiration??!!! What? Where?!
I would love to get the Bourke Street Bakery to increase my baking skills. I have just recently started braving the wonders of the oven, and this is a perfect mentor for me.
More power!
Gorgeous trifle – glad to hear inspiration struck!
It’s a beautiful tiramisu, Trissa! The colours spell happiness. I haven’t blogged for a week, BTW. Lost my blogging mojo and I don’t even have a good reason like house-hunting! So, that Donna Hay book would indeed be an inspiration. 😉
Trissa, you’ve just inspired me, I have some pound cake I don’t know what to do with, now you’ve got me thinking! You’re so generous, would love it if I won the BSB one 🙂
Your tiramisu looks wonderful. Thanks so much for this giveaway and I would love to read about the Bourke Street Bakery.
tanyainjville at yahoo dot com
Oh man that tiramisu looks so good. I love fresh fruit in desserts. I’d love the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook, breads are my weakness. Thanks for the giveaway!
I would be thrilled if I won the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook because it’s always been a dream of mine to open up a bakery someday.
Is it weird that I love house inspections? 😀
This looks like a perfect summer recipe. I’d love Donna Hays book because I’m a huge fan of her styling.
Your photo and recipe of your berry tiramisu was a luscious mental pick-me up. At the moment I am living in Jakarta, Indonesia and given that the climate and geography does not permit leisurely walks outside (no parks or sidewalks), my friends and I have found our source of fresh air and energy in challenging ourselves to become the cooks that we always wanted to be. Once every three weeks, we get together for a gourmet potluck… or at least as gourmet as it can be given the ingredients that we can hunt down in the grocery stores around town. Either cookbook would be very well put to use in our hands, but the Donna Hay Seasons book would be especially nice because it would help us in our attempts to recreate the seasons that we’ve been missing. Thank you for the gorgeous blog.
I really love your recipe… Right now, it’s autumn here so the berries are unavailable… I think I’ll keep your recipe for next summer!
Because I really prefer baking, alhoug I love Donna Hay, I think I’m more inclined on Bourke Street Bakery… I kinda have a lots of baking books, it’s practicly an obsession for me… And it’s from an Australian shop and I’d never been in Australia (I’d love to) so probably I can discover some stuff from your place!
Trissa, I’ve followed you once I found you on Twitter. You’re a great tweeter who I love to talk with.
Oh, it’s very difficult to choose which cookbook I’d love to have. Both of them are excellent keepers. If I have to choose one, that’d be Bourke Street Bakery because I really want to sharpen my bakery skills.
Perfect timing for summer evenings. I’ve never been a successful baker,
my cakes turn out like cookies and my cookies turn out like cakes! I think I need Bourke Street Bakery’s help.
i have heard alot of good things about bloodwood, its on my to-eat list as well :O)
the berry trifle looks great i loove how you are so inspired by restaurant dishes xo
Oh wow, this looks perfect for the Spring weather we’re enjoying. The sweet cream and luscious berries do make a good match. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the giveaway! I would choose the Bourke Street Bakery book because I’ve read great recommendations. Plus, I already have DH’s magazines from the past 3 years…
Would love to win that Bourke St Bakery cookbook – yum! Desserts. I love baking – though I have a bad habit of not always being exactly precise with the measurements – which I know is a cardinal sin in the world of baking. Heh.
Very intrigued about this Thermomix thing – have scoured the web for everyones thoughts and I’ve decided I want one. Though a coffee machine would be my first preference if I’m going to fork out that much cash for an appliance. Has yours really changed the way you cook like the general concensus on the web seems to be? 😀
The Donna Hay Seasons book looks wonderful.
I would love this book because it looks to be a compilation of all different foods for the seasons and the foods that go along with them.
Oh gosh, I want both books LOL. Okay though, Ill choose the Bourke Street Bakery book 😀 because I love the smell of fresh baked bread. I think its more magnificent than any perfume.
Your berry tiramisu is beautiful, and very refreshing on the eyes.
Good luck on your house hunting.
*kisses* HH
The tiramisu looks so pretty! Two great books for inspiration too! I don’t have the Bourke Street Bakery book so I’d love to see what recipes it has!
Bourke Street! I keep hearing of so many delicious reciepes from this cookbook and I’d love to have a copy of my own.
Happy (canadian) thanksgiving!
I love tiramisu and this one looks amazing Trissa. Love the colors.
As for the books, I would definitely go for the first one! Baking is a passion!
Magda
Tiramisu is my favorite dessert, and a berry variation is a great idea! I’ve been drooling over Donna Hay Seasons ever since it came out but can’t find it here for less than 60 USD or so. I’d love to win it. Thanks for this awesome giveaway, Trissa!
Your tiramisu looks really delicious and I’d love it if you picked me for Seasons!
Thanks
Foodelf
I would like to have that Seasons cookbook! I would like to experience cooking recipes from all the four seasons : spring, summer, autumn and winter. I don’t get to experience all four seasons here in the Philippines, maybe through that cookbook I’ll get to…
Hi, Trissa!
Don’t you find that beating the egg whites for one minute is too much? To be honest, I found it very difficult to get only 2 egg whites to beat in the machine, but I can definitely do it now, but find they are usually done in less that 30 seconds…. so different.
Sounds divine. So does the rose jelly and champagne Anglaise. YUM!
House hunting, eh? Is that better than building on where you are from? If you are not in a rush, you could design your own kitchen and build it. I love house hunting, but only when I don’t HAVE to move.
🙂
Valerie
Hi Val – not sure why we have different experiences with the thermomix… could it be my eggs were cold when I beat them?
Bourke Street Bakery is a book I would LOVE to read. I am venturing into baking more and more and this book looks like it would really inspire me! I don’t have a website or a blog. I’m just your average wife trying to put delicious, different things on the table. Thank you!