As I was catching up on my precious moments with Netflix, I had one of those urges of baking. I had already made brownie pudding days before, but that was long gone…and eaten. In that moment I remembered one of the easiest and tastiest desserts I’ve made, tiramisù.
The first time I attempted this traditional Italian dessert was precisely in an Italian Culture course a couple semesters ago. The Professor was psyched to try this with the class and as it turned out, we did pretty well. What I loved about the tiramisù was the few steps that it takes, not to mention how delicious it results. Clearly this is not Italy, so the traditional ingredients are rather difficult to find; but not to panic, substitutions can be easily made.
Ricetta del tiramisù (tiramisu recipe):
2 cups of espresso coffee (I made mine with an Italian espresso maker, but strong black coffee is fine.)
3 eggs separated
1/3 cup sugar
250g mascarpone cheese or 8oz cream cheese
1 packet savoiardi (ladyfingers)
Cocoa powder for dusting
Preparation:
Pour coffee into a small shallow dish.
In a large bowl place the egg yolks and sugar, beat with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Gently, mix in the cheese.
In a separate bowl mix egg whites until soft peaks start to form. With a spatula, fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
Dip savoiardi into the coffee for a few seconds and start placing them side to side in the bottom of a 13/9 inch dish, you might have to break some by half so they fit in the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the mixture on top of the biscuits; continue for about two more layers finishing with the cheese mixture on top. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
Dust with cocoa powder and enjoy.
*Recipe adapted from Dixie Elliott. Super Food Ideas. June 2003: Page 8.