Tiramisu
Submitted by iluvapps on July 27, 2003 at 12:55 pm

DESCRIPTION
Tiramisu

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under cakes

INSTRUCTIONS
FILLING

1-1/2 cups expresso or triple-strength regular coffee at room temp.
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brandy (I use Courvoisier cognac)
2 egg yolks (I leave them out – you won’t miss them)!
1 lb. mascarpone cheese (a ½ or 1 ounce either way won’t matter)
1 – 8 oz. package ladyfingers (the hard ones, not the soft ones)
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, shaved. (I use Ghirridelli. Hershey’s isn’t rich enough). You won’t
use all 4 oz.

Stir the coffee, sugar and brandy together until the sugar dissolves. Remove 1/3 cup of the mixture to another bowl and set the remainder aside. If you’re using the egg yolks, whisk them into the 1/3 cup of the coffee mixture. Either way, add the mascarpone and whisk just until smooth. Do not overmix, or it may begin to separate.

Dip the ladyfingers one at a time into the reserved coffee mixture (not the 1/3 cup with the cheese). Place them on the bottom of a large, glass baking dish or casserole approx. 12”x12” – size is somewhat flexible. Or you can do the ring mold thing or whatever fancy presentation you prefer. The ladyfingers should be soaked with coffee and will expand a little. This will only take a few seconds; be sure not to soak them so that they fall apart. Line the entire bottom of the pan. Trim them to make them fit if necessary. Spread on half of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 1/3 – ½ of the shaved chocolate. Layer the ladyfingers again on top of the cheese and chocolate, in the same manner, dipping them first into the coffee. It’s tricky to dip them long enough so that all the coffee will be used up. I usually spoon some of the coffee on both layers of ladyfingers after I’ve placed them in the pan. Don’t worry if some of the coffee is left over. It gets pretty mushy if you use it all.

ICING

1 cup fresh whipping cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 package of whipped cream stabilizer (use per directions on package)
2 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Whip ingredients until stiff.

Carefully fold the remaining ½ of the cheese mixture into the icing. You can spread it over the top of the second layer of ladyfingers of use a pastry bag to do something decorative. I use a dessert decorator to make little stars all over the top. Then sprinkle again with the shaved chocolate. Chill, slice and serve.

Best if chills a few hours. Not a “make-ahead” thing. When it sits overnight, it begins to get soggy. Still good, but at its best on the day it’s made!