Tiramisu

Anyone else so addicted to tiramisu that you’ve made a Little Italy run at 10pm on a weeknight to seek out this famous Italian dessert?

Pick me! Pick me!!

(Perhaps a rebrand of The Gourmet Gourmand should be Confessions: Sarah is a Glutton).

Ridiculousness aside, you should seriously make this tiramisu recipe.  
Tiramisu is a great recipe for those who detest baking (I used to fall into this category and I’m gradually being converted… although I still prefer cooking to baking, I promise!!!)  For anyone unfamiliar, tiramisu involves a creamy mascarpone/whipped cream filling layered between and on top of espresso-soaked lady fingers.

You start by making a zabaglione- which is a custard mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and marsala wine. To that you add the mascarpone.  And to that you add whipping cream.

Gah!!

To quote Queen Ina- “How delicious is that?”While fairly straightforward to prepare and assemble, I would advise using care to not oversaturate your ladyfingers with the espresso.

Ladyfingers are essentially a small, oblong, italian cookie, that is reminiscent of a finger (… I guess).  Anyway, if you can find good authentic Italian ladyfingers called Savoiardi, please use these.  Unforunately I was unable to locate any real Italian Savoiardi, so I went with the next best option of ladyfingers produced by the local Vons.  They weren’t bad, but a little spongier than I would have preferred.

My ladyfingers were easy to oversaturate- a very quick dip in the espresso was all that was needed.  Use your judgment on soak time if you are able to locate authentic Savoiardi.
After assembling the tiramisu one should definitely dust the entire pan with a healthy coating of cocoa powder.  I used an Italian brand of cocoa called Pernigotti Cocoa and if you can get your hands on it, I’d highly recommend it.  (Not an affiliate link people- I just legitimately like this product!)The tiramisu is best if you can let it sit for a few hours before diving in.  But as I expressed previously… I clearly have difficulties with delayed gratification…  This cake was so divine.

I may have finished off the pan over the course of 2 days.  One final note- this recipe was a touch light on the creamy filling.  It is definitely enough in my opinion to create a great tiramisu.  Dave and I actually preferred it a little lighter on the cream.  If you prefer your tiramisu extra-creamy, feel free to double the quantities for the cream filling.

Tiramisu

Adapted from Epicurious

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 6 hours hrs

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup freshly brewed espresso
• 2 tablespoons Kahlua
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar divided
• 2 large egg yolks
• 8 oz mascarpone
• 2.5 tablespoons dry marsala OK to substitute with dry vermouth
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 6 oz package of ladyfingers
• Unsweetened cocoa for garnish (I used Pernigotti

Instructions

 

• Whisk together espresso, Kahlua, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
• In a double-boiler over low heat, combine egg yolks, marsala wine, and remaining sugar.
• Using a handheld mixer, blend mixture for about 5-8 minutes or until eggs become pale yellow and are approximately tripled in volume. Remove from heat. Add mascarpone and beat until just smooth.
• In another bowl, beat whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks.
• Gently fold mascarpone-egg mixture into the whipping cream until just combined.
• Place into fridge to briefly chill.
• Now, begin very quickly dipping the ladyfingers into the espresso mixture. Be careful not to over-saturate.
• Line the bottom of an 8x8 pan with the espresso-moistened lady fingers. You may need to break a few ladyfingers in half to fit properly.
• Next, spoon about half of the cream mixture over the ladyfingers.
• Repeat- layering another layer of ladyfingers and topping with remaining cream.
• Dust the top lightly with cocoa powder.
• Chill, covered, in the fridge for about an hour (best if you let it chill for about 6 hours before serving, or overnight).
• Dust with a generous amount of cocoa just prior to serving.