Saturday, October 16, 2010

Tiramisu

This post was written almost as soon as we returned from our vacation, yet it has taken me 2 weeks just to upload the picture and finally publish the post. If this is not the absolute height of laziness and lethargy, I wonder what is!


Now, I would love to claim that this recipe was shared by an Italian chef or that it is the authentic recipe of making the tiramisu.


But having gone to the country where the tiramisu was invented and having eaten it almost every single day, I can definitely aver that this recipe results in a tiramisu that is as good as if not better (yes, I actually said that!) than the ones we ate in Italy.








I have tried numerous recipes for making tiramisu but the one I made from Cooking for Engineers makes the most fantastic tiramisu I've ever eaten. First of all, it doesn't use raw eggs, instead the egg yolks are cooked into a custard.


Light yet delectably creamy, it is has a perfect melt in your mouth feel. But most importantly, it is not cloyingly sweet and the balance of flavour between the coffee and the alcohol is just right.


I have made a few modifications to the original recipe; here's my version.


Ingredients:


for the zabaglione:
Egg yolks: 4
Sugar: 1/2 cup + 2 tbsps
Marsala wine: 1/2 cup

Mascarpone cheese: 500 gms

Heavy cream: 250 ml


for the dipping mixture
Espresso: 1 1/4 cup
Marsala wine: 3 tbsps




Ladyfinger/savoiardi cookies
Cocoa powder: 1/4 cup


Method:

Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar till pale and lemony in colour. Add in the Marsala wine and whisk a few minutes more.




While you are whisking the yolks, bring some water to boil in a saucepan (this saucepan should be a size smaller than the one you are whisking the egg yolks in. I fill the saucepan halfway through with water).





Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the flame so that the water is barely simmering and then set the bowl containing the whisked yolks on top and stir continuously till the mixture starts to thicken and bubble around the edges. Set aside and let it cool completely.



(the first time I did this, I ended up with something that looked like crumbed paneer - which meant that my egg mixture had started to cook. So now, whenever I make the egg custard, I keep a deep plate filled with chilled water - the minute I think the mixture is starting to overheat, I plonk the bowl into the chilled water to prevent the eggs from cooking).



Next, whip the cream to get stiff peaks. Also, beat the mascarpone cheese till it is smooth. Then pour the zabaglione into the cheese and beat to get a homogenous mixture. Fold in the whipped cream into the cheese mixture in 3 quick additions.


Assembling the tiramisu:

Mix together the espresso and the marsala. (If you find the espresso too strong for your liking, dilute it with some warm water but don't use sugar to counter the bitterness. Sugar in the espresso is an absolute no - no).

I use my 9" springform pan for assembling the tiramisu.


Working quickly, dip the ladyfinger cookies in the espesso mixture and lay them in a single layer over the bottom of the pan. I dip only one side - the plain side - of the cookies in the espresso and place them sugar side up in the pan. These cookies are very delicate and so don't dip them for longer than a second in the espresso mixture.


Spoon half the cream mixture over the cookies. Prepare another layer in a similar fashion, cover the pan with a cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours (preferably, refrigerate overnight).


Just before unmolding and serving, dust the top with cocoa powder.

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for that detailed post, Aqua. I have read about Zabaglione and Tiramisu. But it sounded intimidating. Your trick with the cold water sounds good! The final result looks perfect!

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  2. Lovely presentation! Would love to try it.

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  3. Cant take my eyes from the click, absolutely irresistible and droolworthy Tiramisu..

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  4. Too damn tempting :) yummmmmmmmmmm

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  5. Droooooool...it looks fantastic!Its my fav dessert too.

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  6. It's one of my favourite dessert... Well, I am a dessert person :-)

    Tiramisu looks fantastic!

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  7. Everyday eating this luxious dessert, gosh i should visit Italy soon.
    This piece is fabulous!

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  8. Thanks for the fantastic tiramisu recipe- it is my husband's favorite dessert. We finally tracked down the specialty ingredients yesterday and made it together- there was much oohing and aahing when we tasted it.
    Making the custard was tricky though, even after 30 minutes of stirring I don't think it got thick enough.

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  9. Thanks everyone for your comments.

    SS, yes, the cold water does wonders. Even I was very intimidated by the custard bit, it just requires some practice.

    Cham, yup Italy is a must see country according to us, for the food, wine and the sights!

    Nupur, am delighted that you tried and liked the tiramisu. Actually, the custard does take me about 20 mins, thanks for mentioning it, I will update the same in my post as well.

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  10. Thanks so much for the lovely Tiramisu recipe!I never imagined it would be possible to make Tiramisu had home,but now that I have your recipe I'll sure give it a try!

    I have added links to a couple of your beautiful recipes to my blog for a Christmas round-up of dessert recipes for Christmas.Here goes the link:

    http://www.witwokandwisdom.blogspot.com/

    Do drop by sometime,would love to see you there!Happy Holidays and wish you have a great New Year ahead!:)

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  11. Oh, I do love this dessert! This is absolutely one of my favourites. Thank you for this recipe. Anyway, my sister in Italy said that almost everyday, she eats tiramisu ice cream. I do hope you will be able to come up with the recipe. Thank you so much. I will really appreciate if you do.

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