Tiramisu – a classic Italian dessert

Valentine’s Day is approaching and this year we propose a simple but iconic Italian dessert: Tiramisu. We don’t know for sure where this dessert was originally created, but we know that it’s an all-time favourite throughout the Italian peninsula and all Italian restaurants abroad have their own version too. Just like any classic recipe, Tiramisu would be a perfect reason for an animated Italian argument about who has the best recipe amongst friends or family. In general, I’m a purist, and for me the important elements in the Tiramisu have to be the coffee and cocoa. Also, what I love about my recipe is how easy it is to remember the proportions of the ingredients, which go pretty much like this: 1 egg : 1tbsp sugar : 100gr mascarpone. Enjoy it and I hope you feel tempted to try it yourself!

Ingredients
4 eggs
4tbsp sugar
400gr Mascarpone
400gr Savoiardi (but you can also use Savoiardi di Sardegna, Pavesini or lady fingers)
some bitter cocoa powder
Coffee

Step 1 – A few hours before preparing Tiramisu, you should make coffee. Yes, if you need a coffee you can also drink it, but what I mean is prepare a big caffettiera of Italian style espresso coffee. For this one, I made one caffettiera for eight people, but I usually also make a bit more, just in case. Coffee should be cold by the time you start, so you don’t want to run the risk of having to make more coffee and use it warm. For a lighter kick, you can dilute it with water, or even milk, and add a bit of Marsala wine or rum to it. I like it just as it is.

Step 2 – When you are ready to prepare the dish, separate the eggs and put the yolk in one bowl and the whites into another. With an electrical mixer, whip the whites until they are very firm.

Step 3 – In the bowl with the yolks, add the sugar and whip it till you have a smooth velvety cream. Then add the mascarpone and keep mixing until the cheese is blended into the mixture and there are no signs of lumps.

Step 4 – Add the whipped egg whites into the bowl with the mascarpone cream and, with a spoon, very slowly and carefully fold the egg whites into the mixture. The result should be a foamy mousse-like cream. Go on, dip a finger in and taste it. It’s delicious!

Step 5 – Cover the bottom of a medium size tray with a thin layer of mascarpone cream. Then start layering your savoiardi, after dipping them in the coffee. In order not to get them too soaked, I put the biscuits on a plate and, using a spoon, I cover them in coffee. It’s a longer procedure but it avoids the biscuits crumbling.

Step 6 – On top of the biscuits layer more cream, helping yourself with a spoon or a spatula to level the surface, then sprinkle cocoa powder on top. Repeat the layering till you have finished all the ingredients. I had some left, so I prepared some single Tiramisu into these small glass dessert bowls, aren’t they adorable? Keep it refrigerated and make sure you consume it fast as it contains raw eggs.