Daylight Savings Blues. Recipe

by Mary Cokenour

Recently, most of the

United States, and the world over, fell backwards one hour in time due to the

observance of Daylight Savings. The idea

for it was first offered up by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but it wasn’t until

London builder, William Willett, caught the attention of Parliament in 1907

that it was taken seriously. In his

pamphlet, "The Waste of Daylight", he wrote, "Everyone

appreciates the long, light evenings. Everyone laments their shortage as Autumn

approaches; and everyone has given utterance to regret that the clear, bright

light of an early morning during Spring and Summer months is so seldom seen or

used." In 1975, the Department of

Transportation did a study on energy usage on summer lighting usage vs. winter

usage indicating less electricity was used for lighting during long lit summer

days, while more was used in winter due to longer darkness. While this study makes me say, “Thank you

Captain Obvious”, it kept the Daylight Savings process running strong,

exceptions being Arizona (except for the Navajo, who do observe daylight saving

time on tribal lands), Hawaii, the overseas territories of American Samoa, Guam,

the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin

Islands.

I don’t know about most

people, but I know several, including my husband and myself, where this travel

backwards, or forwards, into time does not do a body good. Waking up at 7am, opening the curtains to

have sunlight glaring into the eyes definitely shocks me into full

consciousness! Then there are the pets

who normally would still be sleeping while I happily have my first cup of

coffee in peace and quiet. Oh no, the

second they see the first glimmer of light it’s, “Mommy, mommy, mommy; feed us;

it’s been forever since we last ate.”

Remember, animals cannot tell time via a clock on the wall. Then there is night which happens to show up

around 5:30pm, just in time for dinner; yet the darkness only makes me want to

put on pajamas and dive into bed. Oh, in

about a month I’ll be used to this new routine, but for now I find it hard to

rely on artificial light when sunlight is much more stimulating.

Ah, well speaking of coffee,

and with the holiday season always requiring luscious desserts after over

indulgent feasts, I’d like to share a recipe for Tiramisu. Tiramisu (Italian meaning “pick up me”) is a

coffee flavored custard dessert; a layered dessert which could be compared to

• an English Trifle, made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped
• mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, dusted with cocoa. Ladyfingers are crisp cookies, sometimes
• called biscuits, similar in form to Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies. They are
• made from a sponge cake batter, but more flour is added to make the batter firm
• enough to hold its shape after being piped onto cookie sheets for baking. While they can be found in most supermarkets,
• an excellent recipe for baking them at home comes directly from one of the best
• sources of baking know-how, "The Joy of Baking".
• Mascarpone originated in
• the area between Lodi and Abbiategrasso, Italy, southwest of Milan, probably in
• the late 16th or early 17th century. It is a fresh, very rich cow’s milk
• cheese; double or triple cream (60% to 75% milk fat). Its texture resembles a
• sticky pudding and it is the color of cream. While it is widely used in
• desserts, such as the Italian dessert called Tiramisu; it can be used in a
• variety of recipes. In Italy, a favorite preparation is savory, mixing the
• cheese with anchovies, mustard and spices as a spread for breads. By itself, it
• can be served as an enhancement for fruits, coffee or cocoa; or added to such
• Italian dishes like lasagna, stuffed shells or manicotti. While it can be purchased in stores or
• online, it can also be pricey. However, there is a way to make a suitable
• substitute.
• Substitute for Mascarpone Cheese
• Combine 16 oz. softened
• cream cheese, ½ cup heavy whipping cream and 5 Tbsp. sour cream; mix thoroughly
• until smooth and creamy.
• Now to put these two
• ingredients together and make a dessert which makes all right with the world,
• even Daylight Savings blues.
• Ingredients:
• 3 large eggs, separate
• yolks and whites
• 1 cup espresso coffee,
• cooled
• 16 oz. mascarpone cheese
• (or substitute from above recipe)
• 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
• powder
• In a large mixing bowl,
• combine egg yolks, 1 Tbsp. espresso, ½ cup sugar and liquor. Use mixer to beat
• ingredients together for 2 minutes; add cheese and beat until mixture is
• smooth.
• In another bowl, combine
• egg whites with ½ tsp. sugar; beat on high with mixer until egg whites can hold
• a peak. Gently fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
• Pour remaining espresso
• into a rimmed dish; lightly dip the lady fingers into the espresso, making sure
• to coat both sides. On the bottom of a 2 quart round dessert bowl, place 15 of
• the lady fingers (rounded side down), put another 15 (rounded side outward)
• around the sides of the bowl. Begin layering by spreading 1/3 of the cheese
• mixture on top of the lady fingers on bottom of the bowl, 15 lady fingers
• (rounded side upward), 1/3 of mixture, final 15 of lady fingers (rounded side
• upward), final 1/3 of cheese mixture. Sprinkle the cocoa powder over the final
• cheese layer. Cover with plastic wrap

and refrigerate overnight.