Monday, March 05, 2007

Ooohhh, Tiramisu

Leave it to the Italians to come up with an ultimately sexy dessert like tiramisu. I mean, the combination of espresso soaked lady’s fingers (whoever named those was probably a Romeo himself), whipped cream, coffee liqueur, shaved chocolate, and mascarpone, one of the riches, most divine soft cheeses around, is an unbeatable ensemble. Just assembling the tiramisu, with it velvety triple cream mascarpone and soft whipped cream, was a sensual experience.

Eating it wasn’t too bad either.

There are several versions of this Italian dessert, the traditional way involving making a zabaglione from marsala, egg yolks and sugar and mixing this with the mascarpone. Cocoa is usually sifted on top, but I much prefer shaved chocolate.
My recipe is for a quick and easy tiramisu, one that the inexperienced cook can make at home successfully. I'm not Italian, so I feel perfectly at ease making a few shortcuts! This recipe was fantastic and seemed to get better every day as it chilled in the fridge and the flavors melded together. You must try it!
Pictured here are some of the essential ingredients: shaved dark chocolate, ladies fingers, Kahlua and whipping cream, and here is the full recipe!
(NOTE! In the photos shown, I am making a double recipe, so don't be confused if the recipe says make a layer of 6 lady fingers, and in the photo it's obvious that I will need 12)


Tiramisu

250 grams mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur
½ cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ cup strong espresso or coffee
12-16 ladyfinger biscuits

¼ cup grated bittersweet chocolate

Beat mascarpone with sugar and liqueur until creamy.

In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream with vanilla until soft peaks hold. Stir half into mascarpone mixture, then fold in remaining cream.

Place coffee in a shallow bowl and dip both sides of ladyfingers into it. Place about 6 ladyfingers, breaking to fit if needed, in an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Top with half of the mascarpone mixture, then half of the grated chocolate.

Repeat with ladyfingers, then another layer of mascarpone (finishing the mixture) and coat with grated chocolate.
Refrigerate at least 8 hours, overnight is better, and a few days is just fine, too!

To serve: using a large spoon, dish into pretty martini glasses or small bowl. Garnish with strawberries, if you like.
Makes 6-8 serving.
This tiramisu also freezes well.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh ya baby! AND.... it tasted even better than it looks! Whoa....
Great job Aimee!

Anonymous said...

OH. MY. WORD. I so absolutely love tiramisu. Your pictures are amazing, and my mouth was watering through every step of the recipe.

Mandy said...

I love that your version is eggless. It looks fabulous - especially the grated chocolate in place of the cocoa powder. Yum!

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