Tiramisu
The translation of this word is mascarpone and coffee trifle. It actually means ’pull me up’ - a reference to the alcohol soaked biscuits. Anna del Conte’s book (featured yesterday) doesn’t include the other trifle known as ’zuppa inglese’ which I used to love eating years ago in Italian restaurants in London. That one had sponge cake layered with crema (custard) and a chocolate custard too. It was sumptuously delicious.
Back to the Tiramisu. In the past I’ve had a little rant about this dessert, claiming that it’s served too often because it is so simple and doesn’t need much cooking skill. I’ll now eat my words. Roast beef doesn’t need much cooking skill (just careful attention to cooking times and temperature), but it’s still the prime dish if you love meat. So tiramisu is a simple creamy dessert, put together in minutes and left for the flavours to mingle for a few hours.
Here’s how to make it:
You need: 120ml/4 fl oz strong espresso coffee or 1 ½ tsp instant expresso coffee dissolved in the same quantity of water, 3 tbsp brandy, 100g/3 ½ oz bitter chocolate, 3 eggs separated, 4 tbsp castor sugar, 250g/9 oz mascarpone, 18 savoiardi biscuits (or English sponge fingers from a packet).
Mix together the coffee and the brandy. Grate about a quarter of the chocolate and cut the rest into small pieces. Whisk the egg whites till stiff and set them aside. In the same bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar until very pale and forming soft peaks, then fold in the mascarpone, a tablespoon at a time. Fold in the egg whites.
Put a layer of biscuits on a pretty dish. Dip a pastry brush into the coffee and brandy mixture and soak the biscuits with it. Spread about 4 tablespoons of the mascarpone cream over the biscuits and scatter with some pieces of chocolate. Cover with a layer of biscuits, soak with coffee and brandy and continue to make similar layers until you have used up all the ingredients. Finish with a layer of mascarpone cream. Put the pudding in the refrigerator for at least six hours.
Before serving, sprinkle with the reserved grated chocolate and if liked, decorate with coffee beans.
My tip: I use Marsala instead of brandy. I cover the cake with clingfilm, lifted above the mascarpone cream by inserting a few cocktail sticks in the side, to stop it sticking. Then I grate on the chocolate at the last minute.