<p>Oops… I ended up buying Marsala when I actually needed more Sherry for cooking. Now I have two bottles of Marsala.</p>
<p>I have a decent Chicken Marsala recipe from Frugal Gourmet / Wine cookbook (remember that PBS show?) But I’m open to other variations. Or some completely different recipe idea.</p>
<p>marsala trifle:</p>
<p>Cake</p>
<pre><code>1 18 1/2-ounce package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden cake mix
2/3 cup dry Marsala
</code></pre>
<p>Filling</p>
<pre><code>3 12-ounce packages frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed, drained
3 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup sugar
9 large egg yolks
1 cup dry Marsala
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 1/2-pint basket fresh raspberries
</code></pre>
<p>Preparation</p>
<p>For Cake:
Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Prepare cake according to package instructions, substituting 2/3 cup Marsala for water. Bake cake and cool completely. Cut cake crosswise into thirds. Cut cake lengthwise into 1-inch-wide slices. Set aside.</p>
<p>For filling:
Mix thawed frozen raspberries and 3 tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Set aside.</p>
<p>Using handheld mixer, beat egg yolks and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large metal bowl until well blended. Beat in 1 cup dry Marsala. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water). Beat until mixture triples in volume and registers 160°F on thermometer, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Cool yolk mixture to room temperature, whisking occasionally.</p>
<p>Using electric mixer with clean dry beaters, beat 3/4 cup cream in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into yolk mixture.</p>
<p>Arrange enough cake slices in 12-cup trifle dish to cover bottom. Spoon 1 cup of raspberry mixture over cake, allowing some to show at sides of bowl. Pour 1 1/2 cups filling over; smooth top. Arrange enough cakes slices over filling to cover completely. Spread 1 cup raspberry mixture over, allowing some to show at sides. Pour 1 1/2 cups filling over. Arrange enough cake slices over filling to cover completely. Spread remaining raspberry mixture over. Pour remaining filling over; smooth top. Cover and refrigerate trifle at least 4 hours or overnight.</p>
<p>Using electric mixture, beat 3/4 cup chilled whipping cream to stiff peaks in medium bowl. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe whipped cream decoratively over trifle. Garnish trifle with raspberries.</p>
<p>Cherry Tortoni (but only uses a few tablespoons (</p>
<pre><code>2 1/4 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries (3/4 lb)
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Di Saronno Amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1 1/2 cups sliced almondstoasted and cooled completely
1 1/4 cups fine vanilla-wafer crumbs (from about 40 wafers)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
4 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/3 cups chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons sweet Marsala wine or sweet Sherry
3/4 cup coarsely ground amaretti cookies (from about 20 one-inch cookies)
</code></pre>
<p>Cook cherries:
If using frozen cherries, thaw, reserving juices. Simmer cherries, 1/2 cup sugar, and liqueur in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cherries are soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and water until combined, then whisk into cherry mixture and boil 1 minute. Transfer to a shallow bowl and chill, uncovered, 1 hour.</p>
<p>Make crust:
Pulse 1 cup almonds in a food processor until finely ground (do not pulse to a paste). Transfer to a bowl and stir in wafer crumbs and butter with a fork until combined well. Pat crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of buttered springform pan, then freeze while making filling, about 30 minutes.</p>
<p>Make tortoni filling:
Beat egg whites with remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water using a handheld electric mixer at medium-high speed until whites just hold soft peaks and instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan and continue to beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks, about 2 minutes more.</p>
<p>Beat cream with Marsala in another bowl at medium speed until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold in ground amaretti and half of whites gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining whites and pour into crust in pan, smoothing top.</p>
<p>Drain cherries in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve juices. Scatter cherries evenly over top of tortoni, then swirl cherries into tortoni with tip of a sharp knife for a marbled effect. Sprinkle top of tortoni with remaining 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds and freeze, loosely covered, until firm, at least 4 hours.</p>
<p>Let stand in pan at room temperature 10 minutes to soften slightly before serving. Carefully remove side of pan, then cut tortoni into wedges and serve with cherry juices.</p>
<p>Cooks’ note: ·Tortoni can be frozen up to 1 week.</p>
<p>A number of tiramisu recipes call for marsala (others say rum, or coffee liqueur).</p>
<p>I actually used it today - I sauted some onions and garlic till soft, then added a splash of marsala, then added mushrooms and sauted till they were cooked. Served it with steak.</p>
<p>Interesteddad, posted a recipe where he sautes brussel sprouts with marsala. Here it is: Slice the ends off a pound or so of brussel sprouts. Saute them in skillet with three pieces of thick sliced bacon (coarsely diced), stirring frequently, until the sprouts are browned and the bacon is cooked. Salt and pepper.</p>
<p>Pour in a half cup or so of Marsala wine, cover the skillet, turn the heat down to low, and steam until the sprouts are cooked through.</p>
<p>It’s yummy.</p>
<p>You can basically use it for any meat to improve the sauce.</p>
<p>I cook with Marsala wine all the time.</p>
<p>Veal Marsala: Dredge pounded veal scallops in flour. Sautee lightly in butter. Deglaze skillet with Marsala wine, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan. Return veal to skillet to coat.</p>
<p>Roast Chicken Roast a whole chicken collecting the drippings in a roasting pan. Deglaze roasting pan with marsala wine, scrapping up the brown bits. Pour through a fine mesh sieve and drizzle over sliced chicken. You could also do this in a skillet boneless chicken breast. Cook the chicken and then splash in marsala to deglaze the skillet and make a sauce. Maybe a pat of butter at the end to enrichen the sauce. Pour over chicken.</p>
<p>Mushroom ravioli Buy your favorite fresh mushroom ravioli (Trader Joes, etc.). Quarter a package of button mushrooms. Sautee in butter over high heat to lightly brown the mushrooms. Pour Marsala wine into skillet with mushrooms. Spoon mushrooms and marsala butter sauce over cooked ravioli.</p>
<p>And my fav:</p>
<p>Brussel Sprouts Cut the ends off a pound, pound and half of fresh brussel sprouts. Slice sprouts in half lengthwise. Dice three slices of thick slice bacon and sautee in a large skillet. When the bacon pieces are lightly browned add the brussell sprouts and toss with Salt, pepper, and minced garlic until they are browned . Pour in marsala wine, cover and turn heat down to low. Steam for a few minutes to finish cooking. Remove lid and crank up the heat if you have too much liquid. These are awesome.</p>
<p>Marsala is essentially the same thing as sherry. Both are fortified wines. Sherry originally from Jerez, Spain. Marsala from Italy. Probably diffferent grapes, but the same technique. Ferment the grapes into wine and add alcohol to stop the fermentation. So any recipe that calls for one could be just as easily made with the other. Sane thing, different countries. Flavor might be a little different, but both would taste really good.</p>
<p>Saw a show on the food network recently featuring the chef of an old fashioned NYC Southern Italian restaurant. He was putting Marsala in tomato sauce and meatballs.</p>
<p>Agree with interesteddad’s veal marsala recipe, but I have an objection to veal, so I use turkey cutlets for the same thing. Much less expensive, too. Sometimes I throw in sliced mushrooms, sometimes not. Sometimes thicken the sauce by stirring in a roux, sometimes not.</p>
<p>Humm, my father would scream bloody murder for ruining the delicate flavor of a WELL prepared brussels sprouts dish with a fortified wine. Marsala possesses a different flavor range and does not marry that well with the “Chou” profile. This seems to represent a poor choice, but taste is subjective. In a world where Rachel Ray is considered a chef, everything goes, or so it seems. However, you will not find any Belgian dousing Marsala on Brussels sprouts, even on an off-day.</p>
<p>Marsala marries well with blander meats and with lesser onions and mushrooms. For desserts, there is tiramisu and zabaglione.</p>
<p>All in all, it does not compare that well to sherry. Both are fortified wines but with different flavors. Oranges and limes are both citrus, but orange chicken would taste strange if orange were replaced by limes. </p>
<p>Stick with original recipes and use Marsala judiciously. It is not a great product, and pretty awful when used outside its planned use.</p>
<p>They don’t call it Chicken Marsala for nothing !</p>
<p>Maybe this chef has a few good Marsala recipes:</p>
<p>[Hannah</a> Hart - My Drunk Kitchen - Harto & Co.](<a href=“http://hartoandco.com/my-drunk-kitchen/]Hannah”>http://hartoandco.com/my-drunk-kitchen/)</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Xiggi:</p>
<p>We’ll the good news is that your father doesn’t have to eat my cooking and I don’t have to listen to him scream! A true win-win. :)</p>
<p>You could certainly splash in sherry or white wine or balsamic vinegar or water and let the brussels sprouts steam for minute or two in that. It’s basically just enough to deglaze the pan and create a little steam. Or don’t splash in anything and stick the skillet in the oven to finish. </p>
<p>I’m not a purist. I often substitute lemons for limes or vice versa. If I have a bottle of dry sherry open, I use sherry. If I have a bottle of Marsala, I use Marsala. I believe that Marcela Hazan would quibble with your suggestion that Marsala is not very good for cooking!</p>
<p>Ida’s, I should have written that it is not a great product when it comes to versatility. Obviously, Chicken Marsala is a great dish. And so would a great Zabaglione be. The beauty is that the flavor is distinctive. I guess that I prefer classic uses over substitutions … When possible.</p>
<p>Quite frankly, interesteddad’s Brussels sprouts recipe sounds amazing. I think I will try it.</p>
<p>I have a weight watcher’s cookbook that had a pretty good veal/chicken marasala recipe in it. I ought to resurrect it as I’ve gotten a little predictable lately with my menus.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great ideas! </p>
<p>At the liquor store last night I opted to not buy sherry yet, wondering if a marsala substitution could work as a different but interesting change of pace in recipes. The above posts give me courage to try it.</p>
<p>Looking forward to trying the brussel sprout recipe!</p>
<p>I loathe brussel sprouts, but this thread is making me think of giving them another chance.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s how I stumbled into it. I eat mass quanities of fresh veggies and I was getting a little tired of the same old same old broccoli, green beans, and so forth. I had made a really eleaborate Bobby Flay roasted brussels sprouts recipe with pancetta and garlic and so forth, but I thought it would probably lend itself to pan seared and then steamed to finish cooking – all on the stovetop so it can be whipped up in about 10 minutes. I tried it from the start with the bacon. The first time, I think I splashed in some white wine. Then, I figured why not try the marsala. I should try it with balasamic vinegar sometime, because I’m sure that would be good, too.</p>
<p>It reheats well (nuke it in the microwave) for a second night if you make a big enough batch. By my reckoning, half of a one-pound batch, cooked with three slices of thick-slice bacon, is somewhere around 250 calories.</p>
<p>Thanks - we made the brussel sprouts recipe tonight and liked it very much. I used precooked bacon so added a bit of olive oil too.</p>
<p>Who’d have ever thought that researching colleges would yield amazing recipes?!</p>