Mango Chai Tiramisu

I'm on my surgery rotation right now, so I don't have much to update you on about my life. Mostly because it's really boring and consists of waking up at the crack of dawn and standing in the OR all day. Although, I'm on cardiothoracic surgery right now and I get to poke and jab at beating hearts. I even shocked one today right in the chest :O! Speaking of hearts...it's almost V-day! I don't usually do anything, because it's a pain in the butt to eat with other lovey-dovey couples (who should really get a room) and prices at restaurants are ridiculously expensive. I'm planning on spending Vday ordering wings and pizza!!

Anyway, I wanted to put this recipe up since I've been getting questions about the recipe after I posted a photo on instagram. I know it's been months since I said I was going to upload this post, but at least I did it!!

Mango Chai Tiramisu

makes a 8x8" tiramisu cake

20-22 lady finger biscuits
1 tbsp chai spice mix (like this one if you want to DIY)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dry milk powder
1 cup hot water

4 oz mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup)
2 tsps cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

1.5 cups mango, diced
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp meyer lemon jam (or use some lemon juice)

1. Make sure you have enough biscuits for 2 layers for a 8x8" square pan. Line the biscuits in the pan so they fit tightly on the bottom. Cut any pieces so that it fits to make a flat layer. Set aside the biscuits
2. In a shallow bowl, mix chai spices, sugar, milk powder and hot water together. Let cool (This will smell ridiculously spicy but it tones down over night)
3. In a mixing bowl, whip mascarpone cheese, cinnamon, ginger and powdered sugar together until fluffy. Place in a large bowl and then whip up heavy cream until soft peaks form and then whip in vanilla extract. Carefully fold mascarpone mix to the whipped cream until no streaks remain
4. In a blender, blend cubed mango, sugar and lemon jam together
5. Assembly: Dunk lady finger biscuits into the chai for about 7 seconds top and bottom. Lay them down like you had previously planned. Once they are in a nice layer, add 1/2 the mascarpone mix and flatten into a neat layer with a offset spatula. Next, spread all the mango over the mascarpone
6. Dunk lady finger biscuits again to make the second layer. Cover with the rest of the mascarpone. Tent pan with foil while taking care not to touch the surface and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (but best overnight)
7. Serve chilled with cubed mango and chai spice sprinkled on top!

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Coconut black rice pudding

Sometimes my bf and I get these insane cravings for McDonalds. We have serious love for pink goo chicken nuggets and their extremely soft chocolate sundaes. Although my post has nothing to do with McD or nuggs, I'm currently posting this at midnight, still feeling full from my twenty piece nugg box, soft serve, and at least a gallon of diet coke. I have to wake up in less than 5 hours, but sometimes I forget how sensitive I am to caffeine, and drinking coke has got me all wired! Or I pretend to forget, because I can't have fries without coke. Also, we are both lactose intolerant, so we're on the wait for Montezuma's revenge >.<

Anyway, I thought I wasn't going to post throughout my internal medicine rotation, but we have all these mini holidays this month, including the world biking race coming to Richmond! Woo, getting a free entire week holiday!

Ack, I'm going off track and I want to get some studying done before I sleep. I'm leaving you with this totally summer-y and refreshing dessert to enjoy in the hot weather. Also did you notice the hospital gauze posing as "cheese cloth". LOL, don't worry it's sterile and fresh out of the packet :D

Coconut black rice pudding
makes 6-8 servings

1 cup black glutinous rice
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup white sugar
2 mangoes, diced
shredded dried coconut
other fruits

1. Rinse glutinous rice and let it soak overnight with at least 2cm water over the level of rice. In a small pot mix brown sugar and coconut milk. Drain rice, add to coconut milk and then add enough water so there is about 1 cm over the top of the leveled rice.
2. Bring to boil on high and then lower to low-med to simmer for about 35-40mins. Taste test towards the end and the rice should be chewy, but not hard or stiff. Fluff and let it cool. Stick it in the fridge to chill
3. To make the decorations over the rice, dissolve white sugar in coconut milk by warming it a little. Dice up mangoes or any other tropical fruits. Allow the sweetened coconut milk to chill as well
4. To assemble, scoop rice into a bowl. I used seran wrap and molded the rice into golf ball sized spheres. Place into shallow bowl. Stir up chilled coconut milk and pour over top. Arrange fruits over rice and sprinkle on some dried coconut shavings.
5. All components can be made a day or two ahead and even assembled together. 

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Lemon Mango Macarons

Summer holiday is almost coming to an end! I feel like I haven't had much time to really do what I want before going to school again. Like traveling to Iceland, going on the Lord of the Rings Trail in New Zealand... I wouldn't even mind Hawaii! But, I guess that's what happens when you don't plan and then you're stuck in a lab for your whole summer dissecting mice. Hmm... At least I should get my butt over to the beach while I'm in LA. I bet I'm the only person who lives in LA, who goes to the beach only once a year :\

But, I am going on a cross-country road trip soon... ONE WHOLE week with my mother. Hopefully we'll both survive. Because, mothers. Ya know?!

In the heat of the summer, I made these light and bright lemon-y macarons. Don't they just look like sunshine? ;)

Lemon Mango Macarons

makes about 25 macarons

Lemon Macaron Shells
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
2 tsp lemon zest, dried overnight
2 large egg whites (aged 2 day in fridge and 1 day at room temp)
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon extract
yellow food coloring (optional)

Mango Curd
1/3 cup mango, pureed and strained (1-2 medium sized mangoes)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp tsp salt
2 egg yolks
2-3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter (remove from heat and add)

• Mango Curd: whisk all the ingredients except the butter in a small pot. Heat on medium and keep whisking it from time to time until it starts to simmer. Keep whisking until its pretty thick and starts spitting large bubbles from the top. You want it pretty thick so you don't get your macarons soggy. Whisk and whisk! Don't let it burn on the bottom! Remove from heat and stir in butter. Let it cool and then fill up a piping bag to chill in the fridge.
• Macarons: 
1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mat and get a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch plain tip prepared
2. In a food processor pulse almond flour, powdered sugar, dried lemon zest until mixed and fluffy
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat egg whites with the whisk attachment on medium low for 2 mins, gradually adding in the sugar.
4. Increase speed to 7 to whip for another 3 minutes and then at 8-10 for another 4 minutes. You should be getting a stiff meringue that you can make soft peaks with.
5. Fold the dry ingredients in 2 batches with a rubber spatula and make smooth sweeps to the bottom of the bowl. Add the lemon extract and continue deflating the meringue. After about 40-50 foldings it should look glossy and when you drop some from your spatula to the batter, it takes about 10-20 secs for it to mold back into the mix
6. Fill your pastry bag and pipe batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 3.5cm circles, spaced 1" apart. 
7. Rap the baking sheet a few times about 1 inch above the counter top to flatten the macarons and to get rid of bubbles. I also use a toothpick to pop the stray ones. Let them rest at room temp for 45-60mins. The tops should be REALLY dry and nothing should stick to your finger if you poke them. 
8. Preheat your oven to 300 F in the last 2 minutes of the drying wait. Bake for 15 mins each pan separately, rotate pans and then bake for another 3-5 minutes. You can check they are done by lifting one macaron you can sacrifice. If the feet comes off, leave it in longer. You always want to overbake than underbake.
9. Let cool completely before removing them from the paper. Line up similar sized ones and pipe the chilled curd filling onto 1 shell. Sandwich together.
10. Let them sit in the fridge in a sealed container for at least 1 day before serving. Seriously!! They taste 100x better when the insides of the macaron shells soften a bit and the filling flavors come together.

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