Rose Matcha Pistachio Pull-Me-Up #MoviesandMunchies

This is a non-traditional take on Tiramisù and was inspired by a message from one of my nieces' besties, Ramiela, AND from watching our April Movies & Munchies pick: The Life List.

On the Screen

The Life List follows Alexandra Rose as she navigates the year after her mother's death. While she thought she would inherit her mom's make-up company - Rose Cosmetics - she, instead, gets a list that she has to complete within the year to get her unspecified inheritance. The kicker: she herself wrote the list when she was thirteen years old. Do you remember when you were thirteen? Being realistic isn't usually a strength of a teenager.

The list is idealistic ("Help people and make a difference"), practical ("Learn to drive"), silly ("Play One-On-One with a New York Knick"), rebellious ("Get a tattoo"), romantic ("Find true love"), and more.

Think of the plot in the same vein of P.S. I Love You but with a mother-daughter duo instead of a husband-wife pair. I won't spoil it, but this was a cute movie albeit a little predictable. Still, it managed to make me a little misty at times.

I did find the four questions about determining true love very sweet. The True Love Test...

1. Can you tell him everything in your heart? 

2. Is he kind? 

3. Does he help you become the best version of yourself?

4. Can you imagine him as the father of your children

   
   

Jake got four for four! I guess that's part of why we've been together for twenty-seven years! In fact, I hadn't planned to have kids before I met him. Then, somehow I knew he was destined to be the father of my children. Grateful...

In the Bowl

There wasn't a ton of food in the movie. There was some. The movie opens with a mention of Alex's bean salad that is hated by her family. She meets her dad in a Chinese restaurant though none of the food is shown. She, Brad, and Nina eat Pringles in the car on the way to Vermont. Corned beef hash for brunch is mentioned. And she and her brothers drink wine during a camp out under a full moon.

I went for something that doesn't actually appear in the movie: Rose Matcha Pistachio Pull-Me-Up. Instead of coffee and chocolate as the main flavors, I went for matcha, pistachio, and rose. Rami only mentioned pistachio and rose; I added the matcha to take the place of espresso. But because it's not what you picture when you hear 'Tiramisù' I opted for the literal translation of the dish: tira (pull) mi (me) su (up) for my title. Also, fittingly, in The Life List the list serves as a pick-me-up, cheer-me-up, pull-me-up for the main character Alexandra Rose. Get the third inspiration?!

Rose Matcha Pistachio Pull-Me-Up

I read a very interesting history of the dessert - Tiramisù - but couldn't really verify anything other than its origins in Treviso. But the legend goes that it was created in the brothels of Treviso as a pick-me-up so that clients could still perform marital duties with their own wives after spending time in the brothel! Again, no clue on the veracity of the claim, but it makes for a good story.

Ingredients

A quick note about substitutions. I noted below that rosewater is a polarizing ingredient. Really. I understand. I had a college boyfriend who threw a dessert I made out of the window (while my back was turned); he didn't stay my boyfriend for long due to his lack of adventurous palate. Well, there were more reasons than that, but that certainly didn't help. Elderflower liqueur can be St-Germain or any other commercially made version. Or, if you have access to elderflowers, this post includes my process for making your own: Acqua Santa. Cin cin!

• 1 package of lady finger cookies

• 1/2 cup matcha tea (brewed)

• 2 Tablespoons elderflower liqueur

• 2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites

• 1 Tablespoons organic granulated sugar

• 1-1/2 8-ounce tubs mascarpone cheese

• 1 Tablespoon pistachio cream

• 1 cups organic heavy whipping cream

• 4 to 5 drops rosewater*

• matcha powder and crushed pistachio

*rosewater is a very polarizing ingredient. Use it judiciously, or not at all depending on your palate.

Procedure

Combine 7 Tablespoons brewed matcha with elderflower liqueur. Stir and set aside.

Make a zabaglione. Place egg yolks and granulated sugar over a double-boiler (or a mixing bowl over a pot is fine). Heat and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the yolk and whites together. Set aside.

Beat mascarpone cream with pistachio cream, and 1 Tablespoon brewed matcha. Set aside.

Beat heavy whipping cream and rosewater into stiff peaks. Set aside.

Now it's time to assemble!

Layer one: arrange lady fingers in a single layer in your serving bowl. You can break the cookies as needed to cover as much of the base as you can. Moisten each cookie with a wash of the matcha-liqueur mixture.

Layer two: add a couple of dollops zabaglione and spread across the cookies as much as you can.

Layer three: spread 1 to 2 Tablespoons mascarpone mixture over the zabaglione.

Layer four: add a couple of dollops whipped cream and create a layer. Sprinkle with matcha powder and crushed pistchio.

Repeat until your dish is full or you run out of ingredients. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve, but it's best to let all of the flavors meld together for at least an hour before serving.

The verdict: the flavors weren't as strong as I anticipated. I could definitely use more rosewater. The elderflower liqueur also wasn't very pronounced. I am not sure if it just needed more or if I should have added a different flavor. I might play around with this a little bit more for a Mothers' Day recipe. But it was enjoyable.