Tiramisu

I was having a small dinner party for a friend’s birthday.  I wanted to dress it up a little but still keep the meal light.  I decided to go Italian.  That made the dessert choice easy, Tiramisu.  Tiramisu is so good and I think it looks very elegant with the shaved chocolate on top.  I am coming back to finish this post and the Tiramisu has not been eaten by the birthday girl.  Woo.  She liked it.  I added a little more rum than the recipe calls for so make sure you are serving this for an adult audience.

 

 

 

Ingredients (adapted from Giada):
6 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
16 oz mascarpone cheese
2 cups strong espresso, cooled
2 tablespoons dark rum
24 ladyfingers
bittersweet chocolate shavings, enough to cover the top
Directions
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar for 5 minutes.  The mixture should be quite fluffy.

Start on a very low speed and raise the speed a little through the mixing process.

It is a little helpful if you take the mascarpone out of the fridge 5 – 10 minutes before you use it.  Now, add the mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth.

Finish this phase by adding 1 tablespoon of espresso and mix until well combined.  Set aside.

In a shallow dish, add the remaining espresso and rum.  Dip each ladyfinger into espresso for only a few seconds.

The ladyfingers I used were very soft, so I dropped them in for maybe 3 seconds.  If you soak the ladyfingers too long they will become soggy and fall apart.  Place the soaked ladyfingers on the bottom of a 11″ by 7″ baking dish.  Arrange them on to the bottom of the dish so they form a complete layer on the bottom.  Next, spread 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the top of the ladyfingers.

Take a spatula and spread the mixture evenly.  Then, add another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining mascarpone mixture.

Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (Giada said at least 2 hours).  Take out of the fridge and cover with the chocolate shavings.

Enjoy!