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February 27, 2010

Tiramisu - Daring Bakers

This was the first tiramisu I have ever prepared in my life! In fact, I wanted to make tiramisu since years, but I never had the opportunity to do so. Strange, huh? The plan has always been, that I bake the ladyfingers myself and so on. Now with this month's challenge the time has finally come to make it! Tiramisu is one of my all time favourite desserts. I prepared this challenge twice, and not only because there was enough homemade mascarpone left. This recipe is fantastic¨! One bite makes you speechless and you want more and more! Heaven on a plate - as the hosts of this month wrote, when they announced the challenge.


Tiramisu
(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )

This recipe makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar

60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoonl vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
For the vanilla pastry cream:

55gms sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
175ml whole milk
For the whipped cream:

235 ml chilled heavy cream
55 g sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
To assemble the tiramisu:

470 ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
110gms sugar

75 g mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi biscuits
30 g unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom
does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.


For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble.
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand
mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make
it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row.Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or
spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges. Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight. To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

Savoiardi biscuits

(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
75 g granulated sugar

95 g cake flour, sifted (or 95 g all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar,

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 °C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and
gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar. Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft. Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack. Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.


The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post,
Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

9 comments:

Deeba PAB said...

Yes indeed, one bite and it wins you over. Beautifully done Chriesi, love how luscious it looks. Mmmm, those pictures are nice too. Thank you for enjoying the challenge. It was a pleasure hosting it!

Anonymous said...

ein tolles, klassisches Tiramisù, wie ich es auch schon seit Jahren machen möchte.

Raindrop said...

Ó te jó ég!
Ne már. :(
Ez több, mint kínzás.
Milyen gyönyörű.... még a krém is, és nem ehetek belőle. Francba! (sértődött fej)

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

You surprise me by saying that it is the first Tiramisu that you ever made... With your talent and vast culinary répertoire, I would have imagined that you had already tested such a speciality!

Your Tiramisu came it great and looks delicious! Another perfect creation!

Cheers,

Rosa

Natalie, aka "Sheltie Girl" said...

You did a wonderful job on your tiramisu. I love your presentation with the close up of all the rich pastry cream mixture oozing out over the ladyfingers...Perfectly yummy!

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Your Tiramisu looks lovely. Am happy you agrre with it being heaven on a dessert plate. :)
Thanks for baking with us.

Anonymous said...

Hallo chriesi, , ich hab einen Blog http://germanfoodblogs.blogspot.com erstellt der es ermöglichen soll mehr Verbindungen innerhalb der deutschen Food-Blog-Comunity zu schaffen und mit Bloggern aus der Nähe in Verbindung zu kommen. Ich würde mich freuen wenn du deine Blog Adresse dort hinterlässt. Viel Spaß und bis bald, Anja

Alexandra said...

Hmmmm...! I love it! If I eat in an Italian restaurant, I always ask for Tiramisu. This is one of my quality control ;) I tasted Tiramisu twice in Melbourne just a few days ago.
Yours look delicious! Well done.
Based on the two last comments, it seems that it has brought special popularity to your blog :)

chriesi said...

@Deeba: This was definitely a Top 3 challenge!
@lamiacucina: Oh ja, ich habe auch Jahre gewartet. Warum eigentlich?!
@Raindrop: Nekem mondod? Szörnyá látni újra és újra, mert legszívesebben azonnal
gyártanék még egy adagot!
@Rosa: Nope, I didn't dare. :D Besides good things come to those who wait. ;)
@Natalie: Thanks!
@Aparna: Thank you! Thanks for the challenge.
@Mary: Thanks for the invitation! I am going to check out your site.
@Anja: Danke für die Einladung. Ich werde mal die Seite anschauen.
@Alexandra: Good way of controlling quality. If I order ice cream somewhere, it must be
lemon to test, if it tastes too artifical and icy no need to try the rest. Well...we shall see. ;)

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