Tiramisu.

Tiramisu is delicious. Unfortunately, I did not discover this for a long time. At some point in my childhood I must’ve had a bite of an alcoholic dessert that was wildly indulgent with it’s serving of heavy spirits, and it scarred me. I couldn’t go near them for years. Right into my twenties in fact.

Then I had a good tiramisu, made by a lovely Italian man who lives in my neighbourhood. He gave me some very helpful tips, without which this recipe wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is. Thank you Leo. And thank you for all the figs over the years, too.

My partner, who is a huge fan of tiramisu, was very delighted about my discovery, and before long I was making him tiramisu quite regularly. This is my version of tiramisu, made using what I have in my fridge and liquor cupboard.

P.s. always keep a pack of savoiardi in the pantry!

Ingredients:

Savoiardi:
About 30 savoiardi biscuits
100ml coffee
2 shots rum
2 shots marsala
(don’t be scared to try brandy or kahlua though - they all taste good in desserts, I have tried and can confirm, is delicious)

Cream:
3 eggs, separated
250g mascarpone
300ml thickened cream
60g castor sugar

Assembly:
Good quality dutch cocoa
A lil bit of good quality dark choc

Method.

Make your coffee, set aside to cool.

Separate your eggs! In an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, set aside.

Wipe bowl and whisk attachment clean and whip egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add the mascarpone and cream, whisking on medium speed until smooth but not too thickened.  until smooth. You don’t want any lumps of mascarpone at the end. 

Add egg whites to mascarpone mixture and gently fold together, making sure to keep as much air in as possible, but ensuring it is smooth and well combined.

Pour your coffee into a shallow tray or dish and add alcohol.

Dip your biscuits into the coffee mixture and lay across the bottom of your glass dish. 

Top with a third of your mascarpone mixture and spread over evenly.

Sift on a nice thick layer of dutch cocoa and grate over a layer of dark chocolate.

Repeat the previous steps until you have three layers and have used all of your cream mixture.

Let this sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours so that your biscuits soak up all the goodness and go soft and cakey. 

Delish!