Tiramisu

When we lived in London, England I use to take classes at the Italian Secrets Cooking School while Marisa was in school. This was always a favorite dessert when we had guest. I made a large one that said “SHE SAID YES” and had it at Sage Restaurant as a surprise after Patrick proposed to Marisa.

Tiramisu in Italian literally mean “lift me up”. Not ideal for low calorie diets! The perfect dish in which to make this is a lasagna dish, as it is only two layers. Individual dishes are easy to assemble for a more formal presentation. I have made the individual dishes and then used the remainder in an 8x8 dish. When soaking the biscuits make sure that only the outer part of the biscuit is soaked, and the center is still dry. It takes just a second to over-soak the biscuits. This will ruin the final result.

3 eggs, separated

3 Tablespoons superfine sugar

250 g/9 oz/1 ¼ cups mascarpone cheese

4 Tablespoons marsala wine

500 ml/1 pint/2 ½ cups cold very strong coffee or espresso

2 packets of Savoiard biscuits or ladyfingers

unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together for about five minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.

Add the mascarpone cheese and keep whisking. Mix in the marsala wine and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm. Using a spatula, gently fold them into the mascarpone mixture.

Place the cold coffee in a shallow bowl and dip the biscuits in the coffee. Place each biscuit as it is dipped in the serving dish in a single layer. Pour half the mascarpone mixture on top and spread it evening. Place another layer of coffee soaked biscuits on top and cover with the remaining mascarpone mixture.

Cover the dish with cling film and chill for a few hours. Before serving, dust with cocoa powder until the entire surface is darkened.

Pat Muma