Tiramisu

From the book The Food of Italy by Sophie Braimbridge and Jo Glynn

Introduction

The name of this classic dessert means “pick me up” in Italian.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is light and fluffy and leaves a ribbon trail when dropped from the whisk. Add the mascarpone and the vanilla (if using) and beat until the mixture is smooth.
2. Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry glass bowl, using a wire whisk or hand beaters, until soft peaks form. Fold into the mascarpone mixture.
3. Pour the coffee into a shallow baking dish and add the brandy. Dip enough ladyfingers to cover the bottom of a 10-inch square dish into the coffee. The ladyfingers should be fairly well soaked but not so much that they break up. Arrange the ladyfingers in one tightly packed layer on the bottom of the dish.
4. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the layer of ladyfingers. Add another layer of soaked ladyfingers and then another layer of mascarpone, smoothing the top layer neatly. Dust with the grated chocolate to serve.
5. The flavors will be better developed if you can make the tiramisu a few hours in advance or even the night before. If you have time to do this, don’t dust with the chocolate, but cover with plastic wrap and chill. Dust with chocolate only at the last minute or it will melt.

This content is from the book The Food of Italy by Sophie Braimbridge and Jo Glynn.