Tiramisu

I made this Tiramisu to celebrate two things. First, this blog has reached its 3rd year! Happy Anniversary! Woo hoo! I can’t believe I have been writing for 3 years. It has been an incredible journey. I have met a group of bloggers through blogging and learned tons of things from them. Also, I have explored a lot of new recipes and food that I have never tried before, like brussels sprouts, veal, fennel, and beet. It has been a really fun experience. I can’t wait for many more years to come. I will keep working hard and share more great recipes with you all.

Second, it was my birthday on Sunday. I didn’t want to buy a cake this year, so I made myself one of my favorite dessert, Tiramisu. About 15 years ago in Hong Kong, my family and I went to a Spanish restaurant with some friends. At the end of the meal, we had Tiramisu. To this day, I still remember how amazing that Tiramisu was. It was moist, creamy, sweet with a hint of coffee and rum. It was more like a mousse/pudding than cake. That was unforgettable. Every since then, I always search for Tiramisu like that. Until recent years, I tasted the Tiramisu in CPK (California Pizza Kitchen). It was creamy and moist which reminds me so much of the one I like. This Tiramisu recipe is kind of like that. The mascarpone cream is smooth and creamy like a zabaglione. With the marsala wine and rum, the Tiramisu was perfect. If I would never gain weight, I really would eat this everyday.

Tiramisu (Adapted from Foodnetwork.com)

4 – 5 servings

Ingredients:

–   3 large egg yolks

–   ¼ cup sugar

–   2½ tablespoons sweet marsala wine, plus 1 tablespoon

–   4 ounce mascarpone (room temperature)

–   ½ cup heavy cream

–   ½ cup hot brewed espresso coffee

–   ½ ounce dark chocolate (finely chopped)

–   2 tablespoons rum

–   ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

–   21 Savoiardi (Italian ladyfinger)

–   2 – 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

1. In a large pot with 1-inch water, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
2. In a large heatproof bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together with a whisk for 2 minutes. Add 2½ tablespoons marsala. Place the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk until the mixture is thick and doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the mascarpone until blended.
3. In another large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until combined.
4. In a medium bowl, add the hot espresso and chocolate, stir to melt the chocolate. Add the rum, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon marsala. Stir again to combined. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
5. Prepare a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Dip and roll each Savoiardi into the cooled coffee mixture for 5 seconds. Place 7 of them in a single layer in the loaf pan. Spread about 1/3 the mascarpone cream evenly over the dipped Savoiardi. Smooth the top with a spatula. Repeat 2 more times with the dipped Savoiardi and the mascarpone cream. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top of the Tiramisu before serving.

Tips:

1. Savoiardi is a hard and crispy Italian biscuit. They hold well in the coffee mixture. The soft ladyfingers that you can find in some supermarkets will probably be too soft for this recipe.
2. Use any container you like. I made mine with 3 layers, but traditional Tiramisu is usually with only 2 layers.
3. I highly recommend waiting for 24 hours before serving. The Savoiardi are softer and everything tastes better. But if you really can’t wait, 8 hours will do it.
4. This tiramisu contains egg. If you don’t want egg, you can try this recipe.

Source: Read