You have heard the saying “have your cake and eat it too”, but how about “have your coffee and eat it too”? Well, you can when you indulge in one of my favorite Italian desserts, Tiramisu. Tiramisu means “pick me up”, because it contains espresso as well as a lot of sugar. Unlike many traditional Italian recipes, Tiramisu is a fairly new food. According to my research the earliest known written recipe of Tiramisu was dated 1981, but most likely was enjoyed several years before that. The simplicity of this recipe definitely qualifies it as an “everyday cooking” recipe.
1 lb. Mascarpone Cheese
5 Eggs
1/2 quart whipping cream
2/3 cup Sugar
Unsweetened cocoa
about 30 Italian style Ladyfingers
2 cups espresso
1. Prepare espresso and let cool to room temperature. Most Italians do not own espresso machines. They make their espresso at home using a Moka Pot. They come is several sizes. We have a 1 cup, 3 cup, and a 6 cup Pot. The one pictured is a 6 cup pot.
To make the espresso, first unscrew the bottom section and add water up to the steam valve.
Next put on the filter and fill with espresso tapping gently so the coffee can settle. Once the filter is full, top it with a mound of espresso grounds and replace the top.
Place on the stove and heat. The water will boil and espresso will percolate to the top of the Moka Pot. The pot makes very good espresso.
2. While the espresso is cooling, separate the egg yolks and whites. With an electric mixer, mix the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Then, mix in the mascarpone cheese until blended. In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form. In another bowl beat egg whites to soft peaks. Combine whipped cream and egg whites then fold into the cheese mixture and mix until smooth.
3. Quickly dip the ladyfingers in espresso. Dipping too slowly will cause the ladyfingers to become very soggy. Layer a 9 x 13 inch dish with ladyfingers and half the cream. Layer again with ladyfingers turning them the opposite direction of the first layer. Spread with the rest of the cream. Top with a generous coating of cocoa powder. Refrigerate for about four hours prior to serving.
Buon Appetito!
Tiramisu
- Prep Time : 30 minutes
- Cook Time : chill time: 240 minutes
- Yield : 12 servings
Ingredients
- Marscapone Cheese - 1 lb.
- eggs - 5
- whipping cream - 1/2 quart
- sugar - 2/3 cup
- ladyfingers - about 30 Italian style ladyfingers
- espresso - 2 cups
- unsweetened cocoa
Instructions
- Prepare espresso and let cool to room temperature.
- While the espresso is cooling, separate the egg yolks from the whites.
- With an electric mixer, mix the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale.
- Mix in the mascarpone cheese until blended.
- In a separate bowl whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form.
- In another bowl beat egg whites to soft peaks.
- Combine whipped cream and egg whites then fold into the cheese mixture and mix until smooth.
- Quickly dip the ladyfingers in espresso. Dipping too slowly will cause the ladyfingers to become very soggy.
- Layer a 9 x 13 inch dish with ladyfingers and half the cream mixture.
- Layer again with ladyfingers turning them the opposite direction of the first layer.
- Spread with the rest of the cream mixture.
- Top with a generous coating of cocoa powder.
- Refrigerate for about four hours prior to serving.
