Tiramisu……Anyone?

I adore Tiramisu and will definitely order a serving of it at restaurants provided I still have room for desserts! Sometimes, I will check out the dessert menu before I start on my entree to see what yummy desserts they offer. And if I see something I like especially tiramisu on the menu, by all means I will try my best to leave some room for TIRAMISU!!

I have always thought that it’s a complicated dessert to make, until I decided to try it myself! I’ve been making this tiramisu for about 2 years now, using the same recipe since and never looking back or searching for another Tiramisu recipe! I dare to boast that my friends who had the chance to taste my tiramisu absolutely love it and my #1 fans are my hubby and my brother! My brother loved it so much, he even requested the recipe from me and made it! HE EVEN TAUGHT MY MOM HOW TO MAKE IT!!!!! =). Anyway, I made some again after having a “Tiramisu Itch”; it’s been quite a while since I made some and with a guest visiting, it was a great excuse to whip up “my signature” Tiramisu. With 1/2 pound of Mascarpone at $2.99, and 1 pound at $3.99….I just had to get the bigger container and double up my Tiramisu…….as usual!! =)

 

This recipe came from the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2006: An Entire Year Of Recipes, a birthday gift from my friend Nency a couple years ago. You can also find the original recipe posted by Food & Wine HERE.

CLASSIC TIRAMISU RECIPE

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

2 Large Eggs, Separated

1/3 Cup Plus 1 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 Pound Mascarpone (About 1 Cup)

1 Cup Strong Brewed Espresso(At Room Temperature)

One 7 Oz Package Dry Ladyfingers, Preferably Italian Savoiardi (see Note)

1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, For Dusting

Method:

In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until it is firm and refrigerate. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the 1/3 cup of sugar until light in color. In another bowl, using a whisk or an electric handheld mixer, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar to the whites and beat until they're firm and glossy. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the beaten yolk-and-sugar mixture, then fold in the mascarpone and one-third of the beaten egg whites. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour the espresso into a shallow bowl. Dip both sides of half of the ladyfingers in the espresso and use them to line the bottom of an 8-by-10- or 8-by-11-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Spoon half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers and spread it in a smooth, even layer. Dip both sides of the remaining ladyfingers in the espresso and arrange them on top. Spread remaining mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers in a smooth, even layer. Cover and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.

Just before serving, sift the cocoa powder over the top of the tiramisu. Cut the tiramisu into squares and serve.

Make Ahead: The tiramisu can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Notes : Savoiardi ladyfingers can be found in Italian specialty food shops.

June’s Notes:  I substitute about 1/2 cup espresso for 1/2 cup dry Marsala Wine. (Yes I LOVE LIQUOR in my dessert..lots of it!!). For my strongly brewed espresso; I used about 4 tsp of instant coffee powder to 1/2 boiling water. It sort of take practice soaking lady fingers as you do not want to over-soak it, yet you want enough coffee mixture in it so that the cake it just moist. After each layer of mascarpone mixture, I dust cocoa powder on it before layering with the soaked lady fingers. And remember to use GOOD COCOA POWDER; i.e. Ghirardelli! I got my lady fingers from my local grocer(Market Basket) near the bakery aisle. Sometimes you can find them at the International / Italian aisle. If you cannot find dry lady fingers, you could use freshly baked ones (which I have used before). Before I soak the lady fingers in coffee mixture, I toast them in the oven to remove some of the moisture so that it will be able to take in the coffee mixture without being over mushy later. 

Now if you get adventurous, here are some Tiramisu I’ve done in the past. These are made in a spring foam, kept overnight for Tiramisu to set and is decorated prior before serving. An extra effort, but it’s all worth it to take the Tiramisu up a notch!!

Top left : X’mas Tiramisu 2008, Top Right : Thanksgiving Tiramisu 2008, Bottom left: Thanksgiving Tiramisu 2007, Bottom right: Hubby’s Birthday Tiramisu 2007.