Beeramisu with @MillStreetBrew Coffee Porter

I can't wait for dinner tonight!

Last night I made 'Beeramisu' for St Paddy's. Sure the recipe suggested Guinness, but I couldn't help modifying it a bit.

I'm a strong supporter of the 'local' movement, but I thing I lean more towards an 'origin' movement. Being Irish, I love a good story and actively seek them out. My story takes me east...

My inspiration for this dish is the Distillery District in Toronto. I love visiting family in Ontario, so that I can sneek away to this historical, artsy and gastronomically-friendly old brick paradise. There you will find Mill Street Brewery housed in wonderful 1870's Victorian industrial architecture. They won the 'Canadian Brewery of the Year' award in 2007 and 2008. Around the corner is a great cafe called Balzac's. Here's where it becomes brilliant...the Brewmaster takes roasted coffee beans from Balzac's and blends it with a dark porter to create the wonderfully rich and flavourful Coffee Porter. I decided to showcase this brew in this wonderfully rich desert. I must mention that just down the way is Soma, a delightful chocolatier...using a dark chocolate with a hint of tangerine is how I finished the dish.

This dish is super easy and best if it sits overnight:
Mill Street Beeramisu
475g Ricotta Cheese
3/4 C Rogers organic sugar
3/4 C whipping cream
-have a bottle of Bailey's at the ready...you'll need some for testing ;)
-also have a bottle or two of Mill Street Coffee Porter
36 lady fingers - the hard ones soak up more 'flavour'
A bar of dark Soma chocolate infused with tangerine - .25 for the dessert, the rest for sharing

Crack a bottle of Mill Street Coffee Porter...and enjoy while you let the ricotta reach room temperature.
Using a 9X9 pan, dip the lady fingers in Mill Street Coffee Porter and layer.
Pour an optional shot glass of Bailey's for yourself and and for the dish, pour a .25 C over the layer of Porter-soaked lady fingers.
Combine the ricotta cheese and the sugar.
Whisk or beat the whipping cream and another .25 C of Bailey's until the mixture forms stiff peaks and fold into the cheese/sugar mixture.
Spread half of this mixture over the lady fingers and repeat the layering processes with the remaining lady fingers, more Coffee Porter and Bailey's.
Finish off with remainder of the mixture and liberally spread grated chocolate over top.
Let chill overnight.
Enjoy.

Glac bog an saol agus glacfaidh an saol bog tu
Take the world nice and easy and the world will take you the same.

www.millstreetbrewpub.ca
www.somachocolate.com
www.balzacscoffee.com