"Authentic" Tiramisu

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"Authentic" Tiramisu

Serves 7 as Dessert.

This is based on Mike Janke's family recipe. I tweaked the ingredients slightly to fit a loaf pan and provide a slightly more pronounced flavor.

As he points out on his webpage, tiramisu really requires espresso, not coffee. It is much more flavorful and rich, and since you don't want to use too much liquid in this recipe (it will cause sogginess), you want that concentrated character. I use a Bialetti Moka stove-top pot to make my espresso. One full load from the 9-cup type is enough to make this recipe, and I'd guess that a full 6-cup load should be just enough as well.

Since the eggs are raw in this recipe, I like to use strictly grain-fed eggs. Go to your local health food store and find the most expensive, organic, free-range, pampered eggs you can find- they'll have the lowest risk of salmonella contamination and you can skip worrying about eating them raw. And it doesn't hurt to wash the shells before you crack them.

As for brandy, I use Pisco. It's inexpensive and has a really nice fruitiness that goes well with the mascarpone. I've also used bourbon, which makes the dish taste a little flatter.

I've used domestic (U.S.) mascarpone and imported Italian for this recipe, both of the type that you can get in a tub in the supermarket, and I didn't like the domestic at all. It provides a savings of almost $5 per recipe, but the product is thick, chunky and dry. Stick with the Italian product for a smooth, moist consistency.

This recipe is to be made in a deep loaf pan.

• 10 fl oz Espresso
  
• 3 fl oz Brandy or cognac
  
• 3 T Cocoa powder
  
• 500 g Italian mascarpone
  
• 4 Large eggs
  
• 4 T Sugar
  
• 21 Savoiardi ladyfingers
  

Bring the eggs to room temperature and cool the espresso so it isn't piping hot.

Separate the eggs. Don't worry about making sure your bowls are super-clean- you can even get a little yolk in the white. Beat the whites until they are thick, light and frothy, but have not quite started to form peaks.

Beat the yolks with the sugar until they've lightened in color. Add the mascarpone, a little at a time, and mix very well. Add half the liquor. Fold the eggwhites into this mixture. It will be fairly loose. Don't worry about the eggwhites not being stiff enough.

Add the other half of the liquor and one teaspoon of cocoa to the espresso and place it in a wide bowl.

Start assembling the dish by dipping savoiardi, sugar side up, into the espresso mixture for just a second, then removing them and plaing widthwise into the loaf pan. The savoiardi are extremely absorbent, so don't leave them in the espresso for too long or they'll get soggy. Use a teaspoon to drip tiny drops of espresso on the cookies, about half a teaspoon per cookie.

On top of the first layer of cookies, place half of the egg mixture. Place another layer of dipped cookies and drip espresso on them. Follow with the rest of the egg mixture and a third layer of dipped cookies. Drip espresso and then sift the remaining cocoa powder evenly over the top.

Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. This step is critical because the savoiardi will slowly absorb all the extra liquid from the filling. If you eat the tiramisu before it's sat at least 5 hours, the filling will be loose and sloppy, and the cookies will be dry and unpleasant. After sitting overnight, the dish has a fluffy, consistent texture.

Keywords: Italian, Pudding

( RG1113 )