Tiramisu
from Italian Traditional Food

Tiramisu is a great "pick me up"!

Tiramisu has become an Italian classic dessert in a very short space of time. It originated in Treviso, a town in the Veneto region of Italy but can now be found on menus worldwide. The main ingredients for Tiramisu should be mascarpone cheese, coffee, liquor, savoiardi biscuits, eggs and cocoa.

NOTE: In Italy, tiramisu is made with raw eggs but you should be made aware of the possible threat of salmonella being present, and it may be wiser for you to cook the egg yolks "baine-marie" style and to use whipped cream in place of the egg whites.

I cannot claim that this is the original recipe for tiramisu but it is the way I was taught to make it.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

3 eggs (large)
4 tablespoons sugar
250g (8½ oz) mascarpone cheese
250ml (9fl oz) cold strong black coffee
5 tablespoons of Brandy, Marsala or Rum
200g (7oz) Savoiardi biscuits (ladyfinger)
Unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:

1. Separate the eggs in a bowl.

2. Beat the yolks and sugar, until thick and creamy.

3. Beat the whites separately, until stiff.

4. Add the mascarpone to the yolk mixture, a spoonful at a time. Stir until smooth.

5. Fold in the egg whites.

6. Mix the coffee with the liquor, in a shallow dish.

7. Quickly dip half the sponge fingers (one at a time) in the liquid, soaking both sides.

8. Line a serving dish with the soaked savoiardi biscuits.

9. Pour half the mascarpone mixture into the dish to cover the biscuit layer.

10. Dip the remaining fingers (one at a time) in the liquid and arrange on top.

11. Pour in the remaining mascarpone and smooth the surface.

12. Cover with aluminium foil and chill for about 2 hours in a refrigerator or even better, overnight.

13. Using a small sieve, sprinkle generously with cocoa powder before serving.

Locate another Italian Traditional Food recipe here

To discover more about Italian food visit the Italian Traditional Food webpage