lundi, mai 07, 2007

Elections Night Party (Summer Tiramisu and Pasta Pesto Rosso)

Summer Tiramisu

May 6, 2007. French Presidential Elections. Nicolas Sarkozy vs Ségolène Royal.

A few of us took the opportunity to have a BBQ party while waiting for the results to be announced at 8pm on TV5 Monde.

So at 5pm we turned up at the Sturmels for drinks, armed with a bottle of champagne, a Pasta Pesto Rosso and a Summer Tiramisu. Our hosts provided the BBQ and 2 bottles of very good wine.

According to him QE2 drinks this too

The Sturmels' house contained many treasures from 3000-Euro sofas to 7500-Euro clocks, paper-thin Chinese porcelain, a bust of Nefertiti that used to be exhibited at the Berlin Museum etc etc. You can probably imagine the stress of a clumsy mother and her even clumsier kids.

Everyone voted for Sarkozy except for my dear Hubby. I call him "the guy who feels guilty about being a good earner". He shouldn't, I would help him distribute his income more fairly than any Socialist Government. The Socialists nowadays spend their time talking to their partenaires sociaux (social partners) and hardly get anything done; Me, I just go ahead and spend and I wouldn't be joking if I say that just me alone, I probably helped keep the Post Office in my MIL's village open. Almost all my Internet purchases turn up at her house, that's why.

Anyway, I sincerely believe that we all need Socialism. But it only works when there is wealth to distribute and share around. At the moment, France is in crisis and until more wealth can be created, I see not much point in continuing with the give-outs and talks about working less. Our children's future is at stake.

The Pasta Pesto Rosso for those who do not know it is the red version of the classic Pesto. You still use mainly Basil Leaves, Pine Nuts, Olive Oil, Garlic and Parmesan Cheese to make your pesto, but you also add in Fresh Tomatoes and Tomato Purée. I served it cold with cooked Bacon bits, raw Bell Peppers, more Parmesan Cheese, more Pine Nuts, lightly-fried garlic and fresh Tomatoes dressed in Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil. Goes really well with the BBQ meats.

I was pretty pleased with the Summer Tiramisu. I had a 500ml tub of mascarpone about to expire and was wondering what to do with it. On May Day, Maria showed me her Cyril Lignac cookbook and also a recipe for Tiramisu using fruits. Inspiration hit then and I was really glad to have found an occasion so quickly to exercise it.

Basically my version consisted of a layer of crushed Raspberries (seasoned with sugar and Grand Marnier). Followed by a Mascarpone, Whipped Cream and Coconut Milk layer. I prefer not to use raw eggs in no-bake desserts, but if you insist, whip egg yolks with sugar and then egg whites separately and then mix everything with the Mascarpone etc.

Next, I dipped sponge fingers (and leftover chocolate-coffee cake) in the left-over juice from the crushed raspberries (if you do not have enough, you can use orange or grapefruit juice) and placed them on top of the cream. Cover everything with diced fresh fruits like Pineapple, Mango and Strawberries. Season with sugar and Grand Marnier (or Rum or whatever). Put in the fridge for a few hours before serving it.

Ali Baba
Purple Witch
Sarkozy won. Well, it was expected so that wasn't a big deal. Nobody really liked him that much, but most just felt that between him and Ségolène, he would make a better if not more charismatic President. She has no charisma, just listening to her make a speech, you get really irritated by the way she over pronounces her words. Like French children learning how to read.

Now that I'm in my Fusion dessert making mood, maybe I'll make a dessert for Wednesday when Pris, Loon and company turn up to have lunch at my place. I won't be cooking though. Going to tahpow Ganesha.

7 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

Tu n'as pas fini de te moquer de ton mari avec son socialisme?

Beau Lotus 涟 a dit…

Haha c'est mignon non mon capitaliste avec ses croyances socialistes?

le radical galoisien a dit…

La politique, c'est une chose dangereuse. ;-)

En tout cas, j'adhére au libertarienisme socialiste. Ouais, socialisme c'est bon, mais il faut que le peuple l'exécute directement, pas l'Etat.

Beau Lotus 涟 a dit…

Jon ah, popular or democratic socialism, kind of difficult to find, n'est-ce pas? In general, you need Government to distribute wealth and assure public good because by definition we the people are usually too selfish to be able to do that.

And then liberalism is another thing altogether and can go right or left depending on how you apply it.

But this kind of social chit-chat blog is not the place to discuss serious topics like that :-), though it is admirable that you already have your own political beliefs young as you are. Reminded me a little of myself at your age LOL. Though I was not half as intelligent or motivated as you are, my dear. Keep it up!

le radical galoisien a dit…

I was more of thinking social contract -- the community has a self-interest in ensuring the welfare of its own.

But it's true, I didn't intend to discuss this here, just more of declare a stance. ;-)

Beau Lotus 涟 a dit…

That is not socialism as is often practised. Because it'll only work in small communities. And when society looks after its own welfare, it even reeks of the Right - where charity and income distribution are affairs of the individual and not managed by the State.

Dutchess a dit…

Don't want to bother about French politics here... just want to say your kids look darling in their costumes!

And I've been meaning to try out a tiramisu recipe similar to yours too. I once had tiramisu made of blood orange and lime. It was heavenly. After looking at your pics, I'm going to fish the recipe out and give it a go.