Tiramisu

By DeBruynC1

Ingredients

• 1/2cup1/2 cup (120 ml) espresso or very strong coffee, at room temperature
• 1/4cup1/4 cup (60 ml) dry Marsala wine, divided
• 2teaspoons2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3large3 large egg yolks
• 1/4cup1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 8ounces8 ounces (225 g) mascarpone cheese (1 1/4 cups)
• 3/4cup3/4 cup (175 ml) heavy cream
• 18 to 2018 to 20 Savoiardi Italian ladyfingers (from 7-ounce package)
• 1ounce1 ounce (30 g) bittersweet chocolate or cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from inspiredtaste.net

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare Coffee:

1. Combine espresso (or coffee), 2 tablespoons Marsala wine, vanilla extract and a tablespoon of sugar in a wide, small bowl.

Prepare Filling:

2. Beat egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of Marsala, and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water until tripled in volume, 5 to 8 minutes. Use a whisk or, to make things easier, a handheld electric mixer at medium speed. (Do not stop beating until removed from the heat).
3. Remove bowl from heat then beat in mascarpone cheese until just combined.
4. Whip cream in a bowl until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream into the yolk-mascarpone mixture, then the remaining half just until fully incorporated.

Assemble Tiramisu:

5. Dip half of the ladyfingers very quickly into the coffee, and line the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cm) square dish. (You might find that you need to break a few into pieces to fit them in the dish).
6. Spoon half of the mascarpone filling over the lady fingers and spread into an even layer. Grate half of the bittersweet chocolate over filling (optional). Then dip the remaining ladyfingers very quickly into the coffee and arrange a second layer over filling.
7. Spoon remaining mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers. Grate more chocolate on top or dust with cocoa powder. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
8. When ready to serve, dust with extra grated chocolate or cocoa powder. Leave out at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving. (Tiramisu can be chilled up to 2 days, but no longer or else the ladyfingers will break down too much).

Notes:

Egg Whites Instead of Cream: Simply replace heavy cream with 3 egg whites. Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks then gently fold in half of the beaten egg whites into the yolk-mascarpone mixture, then the remaining half just until fully incorporated. Assemble tiramisu as stated above. If you have concerns about raw egg whites, be sure to use the freshest (and highest quality) eggs possible. Look for clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells.

Marsala Wine: We love Marsala in tiramisu — it lifts the creaminess of the filling. For something a little different, try substituting dark rum, brandy or other liqueur. Since Marsala is less potent than something like rum, we suggest using about half the amount. For a non-alcoholic version, leave the Marsala out of the recipe all together or use rum extract.