Tiramisu

Hello everyone! Today I am sharing a recipe I have had for quite a while and have even become somewhat famous among my family and friends for making for special occasions. I have always been a huge fan of Tiramisu, but never thought of making it (sounds too complicated to make right?). Well, then when I was still dating my husband, I had heard my "future" father-in-law LOVES Tiramisu. So what do I do? Of course, I wanted to score brownie points with his family, so I decided to try my hand at it. By the way, I found this recipe online, although I can't find it anymore and I had not saved the source of the original. It was labeled as a William-Sonoma recipe.

Anyways, back to my first attempt at Tiramisu: it went well for a first time, except that I made the mistake of using egg whites instead of egg yolks! Oh man... but you know what though? My father-in-law still ate it! LOL That is family love right there. Since then I've had many more opportunities to... uh-hum, "fine-tune" my skills (and learn the difference from egg yolks and whites). 

So a little background info on Tiramisu. If you don't already know, Tiramisu means "pick me up". This Italian dessert is made of sweet biscuits dipped in coffee (hence the pick me up part) and layered with an Italian custard made of Mascarpone cheese. But aside from the fancy name, it is not hard to make. I'll add comments throughout the recipe directions so that I can hopefully lend my years of "experiences" (or the what-not-to-do's). I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

• 6 EGG YOLKS
• 3/4 cup SUGAR
• 1 lb MASCARPONE CHEESE, softened
• 2 cups HEAVY CREAM, chilled
• 2 Tbsp RUM or RUM EXTRACT
• 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
• 2 Tbsp + 2-3 cups brewed (and cooled) ESPRESSO or COFFEE
• 5 EGG WHITES
• 40-50 LADYFINGERS
• COCOA POWDER, for garnish

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl set over but not touching a pan of simmering water, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and thick ribbons fall from the whisk (4 to 5 minutes).
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer.
3. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth and creamy (2 to 3 minutes). Set aside.
4. In a chilled large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
5. Add the rum, vanilla and the 2 tablespoons of espresso (or coffee) and beat until smooth.
6. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the cream until blended and smooth.
7. While blending the mascarpone mixture and the heavy cream mixture, in a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (when the whisk is lifted straight out of the bowl and inverted, the whites should hold their shape).
8. Add about 1 cup of the beaten egg whites and fold gently until blended.
9. Add the remaining egg whites and fold gently until the mixture is smooth and blended.
10. One at a time, submerge each ladyfinger into the remaining espresso, then lay it on the bottom of a 6-quart glass or ceramic baking or serving dish (about 2 inches deep).
11. Continue to form a complete layer.
12. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the soaked ladyfingers until evenly covered.
13. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers over the mascarpone cream, then spread the remaining mascarpone cream evenly over the top.
14. Dust the Tiramisù with cocoa powder to create a rich, dark topping.
15. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 1 day before serving.