egg nog-ish tiramisu

+ horseradish vodka (bloody marys)

Well todays newsletter is giving boozy lol. But tastefully so!

We have a stunning lil eggnog inspired tiramisu on that I shared on Instagram this week. And then we have something a little harder - horseradish infused vodka. Wouldn’t recommend the two together but separately, they slay.

I call this tiramisu eggnog inspired because I don’t actually like eggnog, but I like what it stands for. Like, the spices, the creaminess, the richness. But the actual product is….mid. And a lot of people messaged me saying they agree. But I was surprised no die hard eggnog fans came for me. Which leads me to think - does literally anyone actually like eggnog??

I just find it crazy there’s like a seperate section/case in every grocery store just for all eggnog flavored things. And I’m like, can we replace this with gingerbread or something. But I will celebrate the essence of eggnog with this recipe, and you should too. It’s the holidays let’s get intoooooo iiitttttt!!!

egg nog-ish tiramisu:

• 3 egg whites

• 4 egg yolks

• 16 oz mascarpone, cold

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

• 3 tbsp baileys (or dark rum)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp nutmeg

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

• pinch of salt

for dipping:

• 28 lady fingers

• 1 cup freshly brewed espresso (I got mine from my local coffee shop, worth the splurge if you don’t have an espresso machine)

• ¼ cup Baileys

• good quality cocoa powder for dusting

1. Beat egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer (or by hand) until just stiff peaks. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, mix cold mascarpone with cold egg yolks until fully incorporated and smooth. Mix in Baileys, spices and vanilla. Fold the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until combined.

3. In a shallow bowl, mix Baileys and espresso for dipping. Dunk ladyfingers into the coffee mixture on each side for 1-2 second and add to a 9x9 pan, side by side. Continue until the bottom is covered in lady fingers.

4. Add half of the cream mixture and spread out evenly across the lady fingers. Dust lightly with cocoa powder. If you prefer less cocoa taste, omit this dusting. Repeat with dipping more lady fingers and aligning on top of the cream.

5. Top with the other half of the cream or do a very thin layer of cream and then pipe dollops like I did using a piping bag/ziploc bag with the tip cut off. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate tiramisu overnight then powder the top with a mountain of cocoa powder. Cut or scoop out.

My life mission is to have a tiramisu drawer. Iykyk.

a few notes:

1. You can use marsala wine or dark rum instead of the Baileys but I LOVED the sweetness and flavor profile the Baileys gave this. I adjusted the sugar levels in the recipe to account for the sweetness in Baileys so you’ll want to do 1/2 cup of sugar if you use a plain alcohol. But I highly recommend the Baileys - it made this so irresistible and helped that eggnog vibe.

2. Cocoa powder matters! Try to find a dutch process cocoa powder. I tried this Guittard cocoa powder for the first time, and it is genuienly the best cocoa powder I have ever had. It’s sooo lush and rich and smooth on the palate (idk why the hell I’m talking like that, but this cocoa powder got me acting up) It’s considered a “red/rouge cocoa powder” which has a high fat percentage, and I’m telling you it’s just a game changer compared to any other. I bought mine at Whole Foods but they have it on Amazon here too.

3. Definitely wait at least 24 hours before eating. I had this entire tray over the course of 3 days and it was best on day 3. The flavors just continue to soak and meld together, the coffee and liqueur taste amplify, the cocoa powder melts into the cream, and it’s just soooo good.

horseradish infused vodka:

recipe courtesy of my soviet father <3

• 5 oz horseradish root, peeled

• 2 tbsp liquid honey

• 1/2 habanero pepper (optional)

• 4 lemon peels

• 1.75 L vodka (I used Ketle One)

1. Using a vegetable peeler, grate the horseradish root into strips until you get to the center “core” and can’t peel anymore. Cut the core into long strips.

2. If using the original vodka bottle, pour off about 1 cup of vodka into a seperate container so you have room for mixing and ingredients. Add all of the horseradish, lemon peels, honey and pepper if using to the bottle. Shake vigorously until the honey is mixed throughout. Top up with the leftover vodka leaving enough room to shake the bottle every few days.

3. Let the vodka infuse for at least 7 days. Give the bottle a light shake every 2-3 days. I found that 7 days was perfect to be very pronounced in shots, but less so in a cocktail. So depending on what you’re using this for, you may want to adjust the time. Don’t be shy to give it a taste ;)

turn it into a bloody mary:

I used kenji’s recipe here with the addition of: a splash of pickle juice, grated the root of the “vodka infused” horseradish, added a dash of smoked paprika and did a rim of fresh cracked black pepper, smoked paprika and coarse sea salt. Finished with a pickled herring, tomato and pickle garnish! So GOOD!!!!

tag me if you try anything! I love to see it <333

Instagram: @babytamagooo

TikTok @babytamago

xoxo love u

katie