Really Awesome Tiramisu

This is good. And addictive. And very bad for you. (Do you care?)

Time Required: About 15-20 minutes, PLUS minimum 2hrs setting time.

Ingredients:

2 x 250 tubs of Mascarpone cheese

500ml fresh cream (2 x 300ml cartons is easier – just use the rest on strawberries!)

4 eggs, separated

1/2 a cup caster sugar

200g melted milk/dark/white chocolate (optional)

1 x pack of savoiardi sponge biscuits – they come in packs of about 20 or so

About 2 tablespoons your choice of liqueur stirred into about 2 cups of water- I like Tia Maria in this, but you can use anything really, Marsala etc.

Dark cocoa powder for garnish (optional)

What to do:

1. Get yourself an electric mixer. I know this shouldn’t really be a step in the method for Tiramisu, but a good mixer is essential to cooking in general, so get one. NOW. NOWNOWNOW.

2. While you are getting acquainted with your new mixer, asking for its name and that sort of thing, let your Mascarpone cheese soften to room temperature.

3. Beat your egg yolks and the caster sugar until everything is pale yellow and somewhat thick. Takes about a minute, give or take.

4. Spoon your softened Mascarpone into the egg yolk mix and use the electric mixer until it is combined nicely.

5. Move the mix into a large bowl (if you haven’t already), because there is lots of filling in this once it’s all aerated and fluffy.

6. Beat the cream until it fluffs up and forms soft peaks when you dunk a spoon in and pull it out again. This takes a little time, say about five to ten minutes, so grab a book, a chair and just chillax until it’s ready.

7. Fold (i.e. don’t stir like a maniac) the cream into the mascarpone mix – just lightly twist the spoon over and under the ingredients to combine it all.

8. Lick the beaters (please ensure mixer is off at this stage.)

9. This is where your mixer comes in handy. If you have never tried whisking egg whites into peaks by hand, you have no idea of what pain is.

Anyway. Beat your egg whites with the mixer until they form peaks and until you can (theoretically) hold the bowl above your head, upside down, with no movement. This takes a little while, so once again, get your book. Cookbooks suggest using a bowl that is dry and also clean. Er, what? Isn’t it logic to use clean implements? Maybe surgeons have the same set of instructions. “Clean scalpel before use? Bugger. LENNY! COME WASH THIS SCALPEL – I JUST USED IT TO EAT MY MEAT PIE A LUNCH.”

10. Once this is done, take a whollop of the fluff and again fold into the mascarpone mix(Aren’t you glad you moved everything into a bigger bowl?) and repeat until all the egg has been folded in.

11. Set all this aside and get your sponge biscuits sorted. Stir your alcohol-water around a little, then dunk a sponge finger in, turn it over, take it out and arrange it in a visually appealing manner at the base of your serving dish. I use a big glass bowl for this, because it looks awesome once everything has set. Rinse, repeat until you have a bottom layer of squishy sponge on the bottom of your bowl. Top with the melted chocolate, if using.

12. Spoon a layer of sweet, sweet mascarpone mix over. Then, once again, get a’dunkin’ and top with sponge fingers. Repeat this process until you have run out of one or the other, then eat the remaining liquid mix if there is any. Do not allow any others to approach the dessert. Beat them away with your mixers if you have to.

13. Dust the top with the dark cocoa but do not eat any, because in dry form this stuff is foul. Once it has soaked into the cream them it will taste okay.

14. Place in the fridge either overnight, or, if you can’t stand that long a wait, let it sit in there for at LEAST two hours before service/eating.

15. Ensure you get the biggest spoonful when serving. Seeing as you made it, and all.

~ by araneux on August 11, 2007.