Classic Tiramisù


When I was younger, I never thought the name tiramisù has a meaning.  It literally means pick me up.  And it does pick you up with the ingredients in it.  I like tiramisù but I rarely order it in the restaurants because it gets overshadowed by other cakes that seize my attention.  It's always present among the desserts of the restaurants that it seems that the printing of menus has tiramisù already pre-printed in it because almost every restaurant has it.


After spending a third of my life in its country of birth, I finally prepared my very own tiramisù.  And it took me a couple of days of browsing the internet for the recipe which I reckon is the perfect candidate. For a simple recipe, there is a myriad of versions.  I finally got the one from an Italian site called Pour Femme.  I reduced the sugar from 250 g. to 200 g. and I also added Marsala wine to the espresso.  More alcohol!

I had no intention to feed it to my kids so I went ahead in making it more adaptable for adults. The ingredients are overwhelming for kids, especially a one-year old's limited digestive capability.  There are five raw eggs, loads of espresso and Marsala wine.  The only kid friendly ingredient is the savoiardi. 




Classic Tiramisù

Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
  • 250 grams  mascarpone
  • 200 grams sugar
  • 400 grams savoiardi 
  • 1/2 cup Marsala wine + 1/4 cup (optional)
  • 6 - 8 servings of espresso prepared in a Moka pot
  • unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 5 eggs
  1. Prepare the coffee and let it cool in a bowl. 
  2. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.  Set aside the egg whites. 
  3. Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer for at least 5 minutes.   
  4. Add the mascarpone little by little, mixing it with a wooden spoon starting from the bottom of the bowl going upwards.  Stir in 1/2 cup of Marsala wine.  Give a quick, final mix with the electric mixer.    
  5. In another bowl, whip eggs whites until they become stiff.  
  6. Stir in mascarpone mixture little by little, mixing it gently with a wooden spoon starting from the bottom of the bowl going upwards.  
  7. Now that all the ingredients are ready, prepare the tiramisu' tray, preferably rectangular.  
  8. Add 1/4 cup of Marsala wine to the espresso.  Dip the savoiardi biscuits quickly in the espresso mixture.  Just wet them.  Don't dip too long or they will become soggy. 
 9.   Arrange them on the tray.  Cover the whole tray with one layer of coffee-dipped savoiardi.
10.  Cover the savoiardi with a layer of mascarpone mixture.  Repeat alternately until you finish the ingredients.


11. The last layer should be the mascarpone.  Cover with a thin layer of unsweetened cocoa powder.   Cover with aluminum foil and keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.