Tag Archives: tiramisu

Classic Italian Tiramisu

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Today’s Musings:
I have a feline heart.  Treat me as you do a cat.  Do not approach me straightaway or immediately attempt to wrap your arms around me, for I am sure to ignore you and wiggle free.   Do not call my name and pat your lap expectantly.  I will find other things to occupy my interest.  Ignore me.  Become absorbed with something else, then I will quickly and adamantly demand your attention, sprawling myself across whatever it was that you were working on.  Leave that spot on your lap available.  I will find my way to it – eventually, on my own terms.  Once I have decided to stay, then you may love me and I will purr with contentment.  Do not fuss too much over me. Hold me too tight or keep me too close and I will flee.  Lock me out of a part of your life and that’s where I’ll want to be.  Come to me on my terms, be patient with me, do not frighten me, and I will show you how I love — enduringly and deeply, but always like a cat.

Today’s Recipe:

Classic Italian Tiramisu

This is my version of the classic tiramisu I learned during culinary school. It’s exceptionally rich and heavier on the alcohol than most restaurant versions. Tiramisu means “pick me up,” but if bedtime is right around the corner, you can always substitute decaf espresso for regular.


Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, separated
  • pinch salt
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • 16 oz. mascarpone
  • Italian savioardi (crisp lady’s fingers)
  • ¾ cup espresso or strong coffee
  • ¾ cup marsala (traditional), dark rum, brandy, or Kahlua
  • Cocoa powder

Directions

  1. Over a bain marie of simmering water, make the zabaione by constantly whisking the yolks and ½ sugar until mixture is light, thick, and sugar has melted (I use beaters to make quick work of it but if you don’t want to dirty beaters, a whisk works fine). Remove from heat and whisk in mascarpone.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add remaining sugar slowly, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Lighten mascarpone mixture by adding ⅓ of meringue. Fold in remaining meringue into mascarpone.
  3. Combine espresso and alcohol in a flat container. Very briefly soak each savioardi in espresso mixture and place on bottom of an 8”x 8” pan. Cut to fit, as needed. Cover with ½ of mascarpone mixture. Add another layer of soaked savioradi and finish with remaining mascarpone. Cover and let rest in refrigerator for at least 24 hours for the flavors to meld. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

Today’s Tips: 
By adding a bit of meringue to the mascarpone mixture first and then adding the remaining,  it helps the two textures blend together without overly deflating the meringue.

This meringue is uncooked.  If salmonella is an issue in your area,  you can use pasteurized egg whites. 

Limoncello Tiramisu

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a tray of limoncello Tiramisu dotted with fresh raspberries
She types ‘goodbye’ on the keyboard.  The word, its meaning so resolute, looks ambiguous on her screen.  She’s written that word before – not once, not twice, but by her tally, there’s been six of these goodbyes over the years.  She’s weary of it.  Like a smoker saying ‘I quit’ yet again, she wonders if this time it will stick.

She grabs a few lemons from the basket on the counter.  What she needs now is a distraction, a recipe to cure.

This recipe was adapted from Lidia Bastianich’s Tiramisu Al Limoncello.


Limoncello Tiramisu

A refreshingly tart tiramisu studded with fresh raspberries makes an elegant finish to an Italian dinner.


Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 6 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ cup sugar, divided
  • ¾ cup limoncello liqueur, divided
  • ½ cup water
  • 8 oz. mascarpone, room temperature
  • 24 Italian savioardi (lady’s fingers), or more if needed
  • Fresh raspberries

Directions

  1. Make zabaglione: Separate the eggs and place the yolks in the top of a double-boiler. Add 2 Tablespoons sugar and ¼ cup limoncello. Simmer water in bottom of double-boiler while whisking yolk mixture constantly for about 8 minutes or until it thickens enough to form a ribbon on the top of the zabaglione. Remove top pan from double boiler and cool.
  2. Make soaking syrup: In a small saucepan, combine 1 teaspoon lemon zest, all the lemon juice, ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup limoncello, and water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Set syrup aside.
  3. Make mascarpone layer: In a large bowl, stir together mascarpone and remaining lemon zest until light and fluffy.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip egg whites, adding remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar slowly until whites hold moderately stiff peaks.
  5. Fold cooled zabaglione into mascarpone in 3 additions, keeping as much air in the zabaglione as possible. Similarly, add the egg whites in 3 additions, keeping as much air in the whites as possible.
  6. Assemble: Pour the cooled soaking syrup in a shallow pan. Briefly roll the savioardi in the syrup and place in the bottom of an 8×8” square pan. Arrange ladyfingers in tight rows, filling the bottom of the pan completely. You may need to trim the ladyfingers to fit. You should be able to fit about 12 cookies in the bottom of the pan.
  7. Scoop half the mascarpone cream onto the ladyfingers and smooth. Dip and arrange a second layer of ladyfingers on top of the mascarpone cream and cover with another layer of mascarpone cream.
  8. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to two days to allow flavors to meld and tiramisu to firm up. Decorate with fresh raspberries and serve.