This is the time of year when my food cravings are anxious for early Spring gifts newly sprung from fresh earth. These treasures will arrive in varied hues of pinks and greens in the forms of rhubarb, wild leeks and asparagus. However, I happen to live in The Land That The Sun Forgot (really, watch Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations Cleveland episode, and you will understand completely), and as I peer over my desk and out through the window at yet another gray, drizzly cold and dreary day, these edible forecasters of sunnier days ahead seem still a far, far way off.
So, I remain bundled and comfort myself with browns and creams and I eat a bowl of tiramisu. It’s not as if the world needs yet another version of this now-ubiquitous, absolutely beloved dessert of Venetian descent, but if not for this recipe, my blog would likely still be floating around in my head instead of on the internet.
To those who know me well, it is no secret that I possess the technological ingenuity of a newt. I had heard that blogging was supposed to be soooo simple, and to a large degree, it is. But I got a little teensy bit stuck at the photo uploading part (you can stop the eye rolling now). Luckily, one of my dear friends has a multi-talented, techno-savvy, amazing son, Michael, who came to my aid. And aid came with a small and delicious caveat; Michael wanted me to teach him how to prepare tiramisu.
A busier and more hard-working teen I have yet to meet (I ask, how many 17 yr. old high schoolers do you know who work hard enough and save enough to take their mom on a trip to Italy?!), he finally found an opening in his crammed calendar for our lesson day. Trying as best he could while attempting not to become utterly exasperated with my shortcomings, Michael gave a comprehensive blogging 101 tutorial which paved the way to finally publishing Life in Recipes.
My blogging exercise was followed by a tiramisu-making lesson for him. I was relieved to finally feel knowledgeable and in charge about something as I guided him through the processes of separating eggs and whipping thick cream to the proper consistency. Our little class of two was filled with non-stop conversation peppered with thoughtful and relevant questions from Michael. We spent time discussing food and food sources, as he will be heading out on his own next year and is concerned about making the best choices for his mind and body and how best to avoid the pitfalls of the freshman fast food trap. I commend him.
There remains so much for me to learn about blogging templates and html. I wonder what Michael will want to cook next?
Tiramisu
Serves at least 8-10
Note: the success of this dish relies on using the best high-quality ingredients you can source. I’ve been making a version of this particular recipe for sixteen years, and it only improves as I am able to find better raw products. This is my favorite tiramisu – it’s not too sweet nor too boozy, not too anything. Just satiny and creamy and caffeinated. Just perfect.
Ingredients:
4 cups cold espresso
32 (approximately), Italian ladyfinger cookies aka Savoiardi
10 large egg yolks from best-quality organic eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs. cane sugar
1 lb. best-quality mascarpone cheese ( I used Crave Bros. Farmstead from Whole Foods)
1 plump, moist vanilla bean
2 tbs. Marsala wine
2 cups organic heavy cream
3-4 tbs. unsweetened best-quality cocoa powder
Equipment: One 9 x 13 pan or other vessel of similar capacity
Pour the cold espresso into a large pie plate. Dip both sides of half of the ladyfingers quickly into the espresso and line the bottom your chosen vessel with them. If you need to break some pieces to fit, it will be of no consequence to the outcome.
In a large bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar until well-whisked and starting to lighten. Add the mascarpone, the scraped beans from the vanilla bean (save the pod to stick in a bin of sugar or a bottle of vodka or rum) , the Marsala, and whisk until well-blended and smooth (you can use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment if desired). In another bowl, beat the cream until peaks are just arriving at the stiff stage. Fold the cream by thirds into the mascarpone mixture until combined and lightened. Pour and spread half of the mixture over the ladyfingers. Dip the remaining ladyfingers into the espresso, arranging another layer over the cheese mixture. Pour and spread the remaining mixture over the ladyfinger. Cover and let chill at least 6 hours, overnight is best (can also be frozen up to 3 months).
Tiramisu Movie Trivia: And from my 18 yr. old when he saw this piece: “Mom, remember that line about tiramisu in the movie Superbad ?”(yes, I’ll admit, I saw the movie. And laughed.). So, from Superbad I quote: “Seth(to his teacher): Look, we all know home-ec is a joke – no offense – it’s just that everyone takes this class to get an A, and it’s bullshit – and I’m sorry. I’m not putting down your profession, but it’s just the way I feel. I don’t want to sit here, all by myself, cooking this shitty food – no offense – and I just think that I don’t need to cook tiramisu. Am I going to be a chef? No. There’s three weeks left of school, give me a fuckin’ break! I’m sorry for cursing.”
You can view Michael’s website under my sidebar category “Aspiring” at 617 Media.
17 Comments
Looks yummy.
dead lord, how i love tiramisu.
obviously, homemade is the best, but tiramisu eaten out is the gauge by which i judge italian restaurants. all you other food might be fantastic, but if you fuck up the tiramisu i’m not coming back.
That looks delicious! Its so nice someone was able to help you with your blog!
Chriesi – thanks for the visit; wish I could serve you some up.
Michelle – no doubt, you would definitely be coming back after tasting this.
Jessy – I am so beyond grateful for the help I received from this fine young man. Nice to see you!
hey thanks for finding me so i could find you! i’ve never made one. isn’t that crazy?
Oh divine, am back on the diet wagon as of today so won’t be having this for a few weeks but it’ll get made I can guarantee you!! YUM!!!
CEF – I think I could think of much crazier…happy having you here
Rachel – Let me know what you think. I’m wanting to try your chocolates cakes.
Todd’s favorite here! Wish he were at the computer now, he would be drooling all over it. Now all we need is a good espresso!
Looks great! I really enjoyed the story on starting the blog. And I’m really impressed by Michael. At 17, I could barely afford going to Micky D’s. Taking his mom to Italy… amazing!
I will definitely try this – this is my husband’s favorite!!
WOR: Thanks so much. I could go for a good espresso myself right abut now.
Chuck: I’m happy you liked the story. Michael is truly a unique d driven young man.
Michelle V: Welcome! Happy to have you here. Your husband will LOVE this recipe – guaranteed.
its so gorgeous!
Hello! So I just finished making this recipe and I had a couple of questions. Is the mascarpone filling supposed to be pale yellow? I went with the 10 yolks, I hope its not too much. I always thought the filling should be white. Also, do you think any of my guests will get a stomach ache from this many yolks? I didn’t make any other dessert so I have nothing to fall back on. It turned out great as far as how it looks, and I did taste a bit of the mascarpone filling and it tastes good, not egg-y at all, but I was just wondering. Thanks for all your hard work with the recipes and pics!
Dalia
What I love about tiramisu, in addition to the spelling, is that everyone knows that the French wish they invented it, but in fact, they were spending so much time trying to create actually palatable, heart attack-inducing desserts—mousse au chocolat et crème brûlée—to go with some of their heart attack inducing (and disgusting) entrês, that the Italians, thank Dio, could take their time to dream up something ethereal. And delving into tiramisu, with its odd mixture of spongy and gelatinous layers, is like being on an archelogic dig in “luogo a misura d’uomo.” (Uh, you know, “a place made for people,” or as the citizens of the old world call it, Siena…which I’ve been to, like, a hundred thousand times…) Most of the time in restaurants, I don’t bother with the dessert menu, but then of course, because the stomach always has room for a new flavor, even when it’s stuffed like a bulging Thanksgiving turkey, I often ask at the end of a meal: “do you have tiramisu?” And then I listen for the answer. If I hear something like, “oh yeah, we have that”—in other words, when I get the impression that the tiramisu gets delivered to the place from Amazon.com or the like—I pass. But, if they say, “we do, and we make it ourselves,” well, then I have to give it a try (of course, knowing too well that good tiramisu ain’t always easy to find). On the other hand, it’s not too hard if you happen to be in the vicinity of Mayfield and Murray Hill…Anyway, mangia bene, vivi felice… or something like that…
4 cups of expresso.. hee hee! very nice. will try this out on the weekend.
Dalia, SO sorry I just saw this comment…in January ‘09. Yes, the filling should be a lovely pale yellow, and NO, no one should get sick AT ALL if you are using a wholesome, healthy egg. I only use organic.
Anonymous: Where have you found good tiramisu in Little Italy?
Singapore: unless you consume the entire tiramisu, worry not about flying around for days!
If you love tiramisu, be sure to try a tiramisu martini sometime. Same flavors in a drink; delicious!