The Best Tiramisù
Berlin, October 2014:
Tiramisu! This has been my favourite dessert for twenty years. The recipe I use these days is the result of hundreds of variations tested in my own kitchen, at restaurants and at friends’ dinner parties. To me, now, mine is the best and the formula to get there is simple: 1 egg and 25g (1 ounce) of sugar for 100g (3 1/2 ounces) of mascarpone.
It's lush and creamy, the tender ladyfingers soaked with a well balanced (!) mixture of strong espresso and brandy. Once soaked overnight, they are light and soft yet still have structure, far from being too soggy and mushy (I can't stand when they are ‘swimming’ in liquid). I make the creamy filling with mascarpone, very fresh organic eggs and sugar, some people add whipped cream but I don’t like that - it makes it lack in taste. In case you’re worried about eating raw eggs in a dessert, I can only say that I (and my guests, and there were many) have never had any problems in all those years.
Tiramisu is an absolute crowd pleaser, invented to make a whole Italian family happy after a delicious meal. Although its name means "lift me up," I can't really agree with that. The coffee and sugar have a pushy effect but the amount that I can eat of it definitely works against that. So I prefer to make it when I have friends over, which means that I have to share it and eat a bit less. I always prepare it around 8-10 hours in advance and make a very large portion as it doesn't make much of a difference if you prepare it for six or sixteen people.
One thing is for sure, as soon as it is on the table, the room is filled with silence - the silence of joy!
Here's the summer version of this dessert I made a few months ago: Strawberry Tiramisù!
Tiramisù
I use a round dish of 25cm /10" that’s 6cm / 2.5" tall.
For 6-8 people you need
strong espresso (warm) 125ml / 4.5 ounces
brandy 50ml / 2 ounces
granulated sugar 125g / 4.5 ounces, plus 2 tablespoons for the ladyfingers
mascarpone (at room temperature) 500g / 17.5 ounces
very fresh eggs, divided, 5
a pinch of salt
ladyfingers 300g / 10.5 ounces
unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
In a deep plate, mix the espresso and brandy with 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Beat the mascarpone until creamy; it won't combine well with the egg yolks and sugar mixture if you leave out this step.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks (just the yolks, not the whole eggs!) and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the mascarpone and mix until well combined.
Whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff and fold gently into the mascarpone-egg mixture.
Dip just the unsugared side of the ladyfingers for just 1 second (not longer or they will get mushy) into the espresso-brandy mixture and lay them with the sugared side down into a deep dish. They should lay very closely to each other. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture on top and cover with another layer of ladyfingers dipped in the coffee mixture. Spread the remaining mascarpone mixture on top and cover with cling film. Keep in the fridge for at least 8 hours (or longer) and dust with sieved cocoa powder just before serving.
