Recipe: The Perfect Tiramisu
COURSE // Dessert
Prep Time: 45 minutes Servings: 9
Mascarpone cheese.
Likely my family’s favorite dessert, Tiramisu is the one I’ve practiced making most of all, and I like to believe I’ve perfected the recipe that my family loves so much. As a New Yorker, and Colombian coffee enthusiast, this dessert expertly covers the textures and flavors that I so love.
Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup heavy cream, cold from the fridge
8 ounces of mascarapone cheese (usually 1 package)
1 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons of dark roast coffee (for brewing) or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 packages of ladyfingers or Savoiardi in Italian (this time I substituted with 2 packages of Stella D'oro Margherite Chocolate & Vanilla Cookies in lieu of spongey lady fingers and it worked out wonderfully)
2 ounces of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate for grating
Instructions:
Prepare Tiramisu
Set aside a 9×9-inch baking pan or dish. (Preferably glass or ceramic)
Make 1 cup of strong coffee and pour into a wide, shallow bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to coffee and stir until the sugar dissolves. Set the bowl aside. Optional: add 2 tablespoons of marsala wine (my loved ones and I are not fans)
You will need a double boiler. If you have one, use it. If you’re like me and don’t, find a heat-safe bowl that fits over a small saucepan. Fill the saucepan with an inch or two of water and place over medium-low heat. Bring the water to a simmer.
With the heat-safe bowl still on the counter, add the egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Beat with a handheld electric mixer at medium speed until frothy, 20 to 30 seconds.
Place the bowl over the simmering water, and continue to beat on medium using an electric hand mixer until the mixture has tripled in volume, looks pale yellow, and the beaters leave distinct tracks as you move them through it, 5 to 7 minutes. Every recipe I’ve seen says 10 minutes but I find it’s much closer to half that amount and have made the mistake of over-beating only because I was trying to follow directions. Don’t be like me!
(Look for a thin ribbon that falls from the beaters when lifted from the bowl.) Do not stop beating until you do, and keep the water below at a low simmer during this step (otherwise, you risk scrambling the eggs).Remove the bowl from the heat, and while it is still hot, beat in the mascarpone cheese until just combined. Set aside to cool.
In a clean bowl with clean beaters, whip the cream (still cold from the fridge) until it reaches medium-firm peaks. As you pull the beaters away, the peaks will hold for a bit and then slowly fall back - that’s when it’s perfect.
Use a spatula to delicately fold half of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Then, repeat with the remaining whipped cream. The whipped cream will slightly deflate, but the mixture should be light and airy.
Coffee mixture.
6 egg yolks.
Assemble Tiramisu
Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee for a few seconds and line the bottom of the dish. Depending on the shape of your dish, you might need to break a few into pieces to fit.
Spoon half of the mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers and spread into an even layer. Grate half of the chocolate over the filling.
Dip the remaining ladyfingers into the coffee and arrange a second layer over the grated chocolate.
Spoon the remaining mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers, and finish by grating more chocolate to cover the top completely.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, add more grated chocolate and leave it at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Slice into squares and serve.
Grated chocolate tiramisu topping.
