OK, so that summary is both wrought with hyperbole and completely subjective. Nonetheless, it is making this post that got me interested in blogging in the first place. Mostly because I can proudly declare that this is my tiramisu recipe. That's right, I actually thought of something on my own! Of course, I synthesized bits and pieces from other (one might say 'lesser') recipes to come up with what I will outline below. An appropriate analogy of this process would be the creation of the wheel. While others simply came up with squares, then hexagons, then octagons, it was the 'eureka!' of the circle shape that we value as a true 'creation.'
OK, it's probably not that amazing. This recipe is good, but it certainly won't move mountains. Hopefully, it will move you to your local grocery store, then to your kitchen.
I should add a caveat about this post. I wouldn't necessarily call this a 'recipe' for tiramisu, per se. Instead, I will provide guidelines for the making of this fantastic dessert. These guidelines should be enough to recreate the texture and consistency of my tiramisu. In addition, I will specify where one can, and should, take artistic liberties, and I may include suggestions here and there. However, I invite you to try it out, and post comments regarding your own take on how this dessert should be flavored.
Finally, the ingredients will be included in the text which describe the process for making tiramisu. No lists, kinda like the Joy of Cooking, but not quite as structured or readable. Ingredients will be in bold text.
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Let's start with the filling.
First, I seperate 6 egg. Place the egg whites in a seperate mixing bowl and place them in the fridge for later use.
Combine 1/3 a cup of sugar with the egg yolks (as seen below) and whisk together.
Once you have mixed the yolks and sugar (takes about 30 seconds), you should place the mixture on top of a pot filled with water (maybe about 1-2 cups). Turn the stove on medium heat. If you have a double boiler, you can use it here. However, I don't see any need, as a substitute is cheaper, and very straightforward (pictured below).
The idea here is to reduce the yolk/sugar mixture down until it forms 'ribbons.' I think it took me about 3 or 4 attempts at this recipe until i felt like I understood what that meant. Thus, I've included a picture of what you should expect to see (below). Note the use of a flat whisk. I find that this whisk is the best for this part of the process. However, I'm sure a round whisk would work just fine.
This part of the process is pretty involved in that you shouldn't be walking away at any point. Once the mixture begins to thicken, the 'ribbons' will form pretty fast. Also, it's definitely possible to end up with sweet scrambled eggs if you aren't careful. Thus, pay attention, and whisk continuously.
Once you have reduced the yolk/sugar, place it on the counter to cool (at least 5 minutes).
Now you should make the whipped cream. Quite simple, really. Place about 1-1.5 cups of heavy cream in a mixing bowl and whisk until you have whipped cream. The whipped cream should be fairly thick, and hold stiff peaks (pictured below). No soft cream here.
Typically, I will add some kind of flavor to the heavy cream before whisking. You could try a teaspoon of some kind of extract (almond, vanilla, whatever).
Once you have whipped the heavy cream, place it aside for a few minutes. Take the mixing bowl with the yolk/sugar mixture and add in 8 oz of Marscapone Cheese. Whisk these together vigorously until the mixture is smooth. It helps if the marscapone is at room temperature. To this, add the whipped cream and mix until the mixture is, again, smooth. Place in the fridge.
Now it's time to beat the egg whites. Pretty straight forward. You want to whisk them until they form 'stiff peaks.' Below is an image of the egg whites hanging from the whisk. Note that I have been holding that whisk up for a minute or so and the white just hang there. That's a good indicator that you have essentially beaten them into submission. Below is also an image of the 'stiff peaks' in the mixing bowl.
I would recommend a round whisk for beating the egg whites. I think it gets the job done much faster than the flat whisk.
Once you have beaten the egg whites, fold them into the mixture of whipped cream/yolk/sugar/marscapone cheese. Place this in the fridge until you need it.
Next, you will want to make the liquid mixture in which you will soak the ladyfingers. I typically make a mixture of 1-cup very strong coffee (maybe even espresso), 1/2 cup sweet marsala, and about 3 tablespoons of brandy. This mixture should be at room temperature or cool before soaking the ladyfingers, so you might consider making the coffee earlier or just sticking it in the freezer/fridge to cool.
Get yourself a bag of Savoiardi ladyfingers. You should have no trouble finding them in a specialty food store (hopefully you have an Italian specialty store nearby). I usually use about 25-30 ladyfingers by the end of the process, but this will vary on the way you decide to layer your tiramisu. More on this later.
Now, it's time to soak the lady fingers. To do this, I pour some of my liquid mixture into a shallow plate/bowl. This is the part that will determine whether you have light/fluffy ladyfingers or soupy flour/sugar mixture. What you should do is lightly coat each ladyfinger by allowing each side to lightly touch the liquid. Some folks describe this as allowing the ladyfinger to contact the liquid for about 2-3 second, at most (pictured below). It definitely took making soupy tiramisu a few times before I got this.
Now, it's time to layer!
This is another one of those sections where artistic liberty comes into play. For instance, you might decide to have a single, or perhaps triple, layer tiramisu. I like to make two layers as follows:
First, I lay one row of ladyfingers and cover it with half of the cream mixture. On top of this, you could sprinkle some cocoa powder, or shaved chocolate, or some other spice you believe would be appropriate (perhaps cinnamon?).
Next, I simply repeat this for the second layer! Since I have a tapered bowl (pictured below), I usually use less of the cream mixture on the first layer and more on the second layer. In any case, you want to make sure the cream covers the ladyfingers completely.
And, voila! You have tiramisu. If you're lucky, you've got a sweet tiramisu bowl to make it in, like we do (wedding gift). You will likely have plenty of liquid mixture left over at the end of the process. I place it in the fridge for later use.
It's worth noting that I typically make my tiramisu at least 12 hours in advance, or even the day before I plan to serve it. This way, the ladyfingers have time to soak in the liquids and develop that nice, spongy texture. If you serve too early, they will be crunchy, which just isn't right.
Good luck! And please post any thoughts you might have! It's an evolving recipe.
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