TIRAMISU

Just that name is music to my ears! I love everything to do with this coffee infused amazingness! It has liqueur, coffee, cream.. ugh, its 10 thousand percent PERFECT, and this recipe, would make any Italian...proud!

Tiramisu

 Makes One 13x9-inch pan

 For the imbibing syrup:

4 cups strong coffee

1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, cut into small pieces; plus 1 ounce, grated

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup Kahula liqueur 

For the Zabaglione Cream Mixture:

9 egg yolks, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup sweet Marsala wine

3 cups mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

2 cups heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

24 savoiardi cookies
**if you want to go all out homemade - there is a Savoiardi Lady Finger recipe at the bottom!

To make the imbibing syrup:  Add the coffee, chocolate, sugar and liqueur to a saucepan and heat on low only to melt the chocolate and dissolve the sugar.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

To make the zabaglione:  Heat about 3 cups water to a simmer in a deep pot.  Place a round-bottomed heat resistant bowl over the simmering pot and add the yolks and sugar, whisking immediately and continuously until the mixture is pale yellow and thickened.  Slowly whisk in the wine and continue whisking until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F and has tripled in volume.  It should take about 10 minutes.  The eggs should not cook too quickly.  You should be able to grip the side of the top portion of the double-boiler without it being too hot.  If the water is too hot, pull the top-portion of the double boiler off the heat to cool a bit, or it will cook the eggs too fast.  Set aside to let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, mix the mascarpone to soften the texture.  The secret to a light and smooth cream is to have all three of its components as equal as possible in texture and temperature before combining them.  Add 1/3 of the zabaglione to the mascarpone and stir together to lighten the texture of the mascarpone.  Fold 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture into the remaining zabaglione.  Repeat until all the mascarpone has been added.  Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the zabaglione/mascarpone mixture, repeating until you have one cream mixture.


To prepare the tiramisu:  Dip a savoiardi cookie into the imbibing syrup for about 2 seconds. (The cookie should not be soaked through.)  Place the dipped cookie into a 13x9-inch pan and continue, creating two rows of dipped cookies.  Spread half of the cream mixture onto the layer of cookies.  Repeat to create another layer, dipping the cookies, creating two rows and spreading the other half of the cream mixture onto the top.  Top with shaved chocolate and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 



Lady Finger Recipe:


ingredients:3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar

directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.

Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.

Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.