[1] Strawberry tiramisu. The recipe is below (photo courtesy King Arthur Flour).

[2] Variations: tiramisu made in a bowl, topped with mixed berries, to be scooped instead of sliced (photo courtesy Mozzarella Company).

[3] Classic tiramisu, made with (among other ingredients) espresso, coffee liqueur, marsala and ladyfingers, topped with cocoa powder. Here’s the recipe from Baking A Moment.

Tiramisu, the very popular Italian dessert, is made with espresso and coffee liqueur (here’s the recipe, and the history of tiramisu).

But February 27th is National Strawberry Day, so how about a strawberry tiramisu?

Wait: Is it still tiramisu without the espresso and coffee liqueur? After all, the translation of tiramisu is “pick me up,” referring to the caffeine in the coffee ingredients (although there’s not very much caffeine in a portion).

Our answer is yes. The formula for tiramisu has been followed, with flavor substitutions.

 
 
RECIPE: BERRY-CITRUS TIRAMISU

This recipe, a riff on classic tiramisu, was developed by P.J. Hamel, a recipe developer and writer at King Arthur Flour.

If your grocer carries ladyfingers, you can use them instead of the sponge cake. They’re a time saver, but not available everywhere.

You can use a single berry variety or mixed berries. Prep time is 35 to 45 minutes, bake time is 20 to 23 minutes.
 
Ingredients For A 9″ Cake (16 Servings)

For The Sponge Cake

 
For The Citrus Soaking Syrup

 
For The Citrus Cream Filling

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and line two 9″ square pans with parchment.

2. MAKE the cake: Combine the eggs, sugar and almond extract in a mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until the eggs thicken and lighten in color, about 5 minutes.

4. POUR the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the cake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and place on racks to cool in the pan completely.

5. MAKE the syrup: Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for one minute, or until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, strain, and set aside to cool.

6. MAKE the filling: In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese and orange zest. Gradually stir in the heavy cream until the mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in the confectioners sugar. The syrup and cream can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until the cake is ready to assemble.

7. ASSEMBLE the cake: Place one cake layer on a serving platter and brush it with the syrup. Allow the syrup to soak in, then apply more. You’ll use about half of the syrup for the first layer.

8. SPREAD half of the sliced berries over the moist cake. Dollop on half of the cream filling, and spread in an even layer. Top with the second layer of cake, repeating the soaking process. Spread with the remaining cream filling, then top with the last of the berries. (If you prefer, individual servings can be topped with whole berries.)

9. REFRIGERATE the cake for at least an hour or overnight, before serving. You can store any leftover cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; but tiramisu is best enjoyed within 24 hours of making it. Freezing is not recommended.
 
 
Variations & Tips

February 26th is National Pistachio Day.

Long, long ago, if we had been a good girl, Mom would take us to Howard Johnson’s for a pistachio hot fudge sundae.

Howard Johnson’s is long gone, and it isn’t easy to find pistachio ice cream. But here’s an easy recipe for pistachio fudge.

By the way, March 14th is White Day in Japan, a tradition where men reciprocate the gifts they received from women on Valentine’s Day, typically with sweets. So guys, get cooking!

> See all the fudge holidays below.

> The history of fudge.

> The history of pistachio nuts.

> More pistachio recipes are below.
 
 
PISTACHIOS FROM CALIFORNIA

California’s Santa Barbara County is an oasis of rolling hills, ancient oak trees and cattle ranches. It boasts more than 60 wineries and 21,000 acres of vines under cultivation.

With such neighbors, the lovely family-farmed pistachio orchards that make Santa Barbara County America’s pistachio capital, might feel like so much chopped liver…if the nuts weren’t equally as noteworthy (nutworthy?). The area grows the best pistachios in the world.

Pistachios are a nut bargain:

 
We’re not going to tell you that the pistachio fudge recipe below is health food, but the fudge is delicious.

 
 
RECIPE: WHITE CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO FUDGE WITH
CRANBERRIES

This recipe is addepted from Just A Pinch.

If you like a sweet-and-salty profile, use salted pistachios.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COAT a 9″ square cake pan with cooking spray and set aside. Melt the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk in a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth; then immediately remove from the heat.

2. STIR in the cranberries, pistachios and vanilla. Spread into the pan and smooth the top. Let cool to room temperature (or chill), then cut into squares.
 
 
MORE PISTACHIO RECIPES

[1] White chocolate pistachio fudge (photo via Seduction Meals).

[2] Add some Baileys Irish Cream. Here’s the recipe from Eat Good 4 Life.

[3] Add some cranberries. Here’s the recipe from Taste And Tell Blog.

[4] Premium pistachios from Murray’s Cheese.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] For lunch, top hummus with a Greek salad (photo courtesy DeLallo Foods).

[2] Another way to plate. You can create variety with chopping techniques: dicing, julienning, shaving, spiralizing, etc. (photo courtesy DeLallo Foods).

[3] A “rainbow salad” topped with flavored hummus (photo courtesy Bush’s Beans).

Most Americans enjoy hummus as a dip. That’s how we served it last night for Oscar fare, with crudités and pita chips.

But we also like hummus as a luncheon dish, with a variety of salad toppings. You can also set it up as a DIY buffet.

Today’s tip: Add hummus to Greek salad ingredients. Here’s what you need for your dish.
 
RECIPE: HUMMUS SALAD

Ingredients

 
Whatever Else You Like

 
For A Layered Salad

Instead of all hummus, divide the bottom layer into:

 
Serve with a side of pita, or turn pita chips into croutons for the salad.
 
 
MORE WAYS TO USE HUMMUS

THE HISTORY OF HUMMUS

________________

*For more flavor, mixed chopped dill and/or scallions or chives into the yogurt. If you have it, add a bit of lemon zest.

[1] Have a cherry juice tonic to celebrate Washington’s birthday (photo © Liv Friis-Larsen | iStock Photo).

[2] Cherry pie is always welcome. Here’s the recipe for this beauty. February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day (photo © Cherry Marketing Institute).

[3] Cherry cheesecake with chocolate glaze. (Here’s the recipe from Betty Crocker. April 23rd is National Cherry Cheesecake Day (photo © Betty Crocker).

[4] Cherries Jubilee, created for Queen Victoria. Here’s the recipe (photo © Roberts Dairy).

[5] Cherry almond rugelach. Here’s the recipe (photo © QVC).

The recipes are below. But first, a word about America’s first president, George Washington, born on February 22nd, 1732. While we now know the story about the cherry tree to be a myth, the tradition of enjoying a cherry pie or other cherry foods doesn’t have to get tossed out with it.

If you follow American history, you may know that a number of facts attributed to George Washington were made up after his death.

 
Celebrate with the Cherry Tonic mocktail recipe (photo #1) that follows the list of cherry holidays. There are even more cherry recipes below.
 
 
CHERRY HOLIDAYS

 
 
RECIPE: CHERRY TONIC (MOCKTAIL)

Celebrate the day with this Cherry Tonic (photo #1). You can adjust the proportions of the drink to please your palate. For a deeper cherry flavor, use more cherry juice and less tonic water.

You can make the drink alcoholic with gin, tequila, or vodka.

If you prefer a beer: George Washington brewed his own, including pumpkin ale. He also enjoyed hot chocolate and egg nog.

Ingredients

 
Preparation Per Drink

1. ADD ice to a highball glass. If using cherries, place 4 or 5 of them on top of the ice.

2. POUR in a tonic water, to 2/3 of the way up the glass.

3. TOP off with tart cherry juice (our favorite is R. W. Knudsen Organic Just Tart Cherry juice). Stir.

4. GARNISH with a lime wedge and serve.
 
 
MORE CHERRY RECIPES & FACTS

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National Margarita Day is February 22nd. Coincidentally, it’s the birthday of George Washington, who never had a tequila drink since Colonials didn’t know about tequila. (He drank beer and porter, which he brewed on his estate. He also liked Madeira, a fortified wine produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira. He also planted American grapes for wine. He had tried planting Madeira, but the grapes were not successful in the Virginia soil.)

The Margarita has become America’s favorite cocktail. Here’s the history of the Margarita.

According to The Nielsen CGA On-Premise Consumer Survey, a snapshot of America’s eating and drinking habits in restaurants and bars, the Margarita iw the preferred cocktail of 60% of Americans—thus, the most popular cocktail in the U.S.

Runners up are the Daiquiri, Piña Colada, Long Island Iced Tea and Mojito.

> 35+ Margarita recipes are below.

> Also below, how to throw a Margarita cocktail party.
 
 
MARGARITA VS. NOT A MARGARITA

Is everything with tequila a Margarita? Of course not—although it might seem so, given the number of recipes sent to us called Margarita, but are other tequila cocktails.

It’s a [bad] marketing play: Mixologists know that something called Margarita will sell better. Here’s how to identify a Margarita vs. another tequila drink.

But there are acceptable variations on the Margarita. With only three ingredients (tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice) plus a salt rim, bartenders around the world have the creative license to add fruit purées, chiles, and herbs to make Margarita variations.

Here are some of them:
 
 
35+ MARGARITA RECIPES

 
 
Plus:

 
 
 
ARE YOU READY TO PARTY? SCROLL DOWN!

[1] A classic Margarita with a twist: a smoked salt rim (photo © Casa Noble Tequila).

[2] Add some heat; here, a Thai Margarita with hibiscus, a Thai chile, and black lava salt rim (photo © Miro Kitchen).

[3] A black grape frozen Margarita. Here’s the recipe from the California Table Grape Commission.

[4] A Cherry Margarita. Here’s the recipe (photo © Created By Diane).

[5] A Blue Margarita, made with Blue Curaçao instead of a clear orange liqueur. Here’s the recipe (photo © a3tabacos | Pexels).

We’ve just given you a treasure trove of Margarita recipes. So how about planning a Margarita party?

Any day is good for the party, although February 22nd (National Margarita Day), May 5th (Cinco de Mayo), and July 24th (National Tequila Day) are good candidates.

Here’s how to throw a Margarita party the easy way:

 
What more can we say than: Enjoy yourself but drink responsibly!
 
 
DID YOU KNOW…

Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, on May 6th; but September 16th is the real Mexican Independence Day. Here’s the scoop.

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