Tiramisu. Just the mere mention of it causes me to lose focus on anything else and to start drooling uncontrollably. I didn’t actually discover it until I was in high school, though. My friend Michelle (with whom I’ve since lost touch, sadly) had a car and on Friday nights, we’d go out for dinner and either out to movies or go to her house and watch movies. Or concerts. We frequented TGI Friday’s, where I learned to love Potato Skins, as well as Olive Garden, where I first met Tiramisu. It was love at first bite.

And while it’s not any more complicated to make than a trifle or an icebox cake, I’ve only made actual Tiramisu twice at home. I’ve made other things with the flavors of Tiramisu. But I bought some mascarpone with the notion of making Tiramisu. I’d picked up some ladyfingers the last time we were in Sioux Falls, and had been saving them.

So last weekend, I used the last of my espresso, and I made some Tiramisu.

And oh, it was SO worth it. The bambino didn’t recall ever having it, and Jay doesn’t go nuts for it the way I do, but they both asked for second pieces. I polished off the rest myself (over the course of a couple days).

Traditionally, Tiramisu is made with raw eggs, which is how I made this recipe. To cut down on the skeeviness of consuming said raw eggs, I used pasteurized ones, Davidson’s Safest Choice:

If you can’t find these in your store, or you’re not keen on consuming raw eggs, there are other recipes for Tiramisu that are made with whipped cream or a cooked zabaglione. I figure that I eat enough raw cookie dough, cake batter and brownie batter, I’d be fine. I chose the pasteurized eggs more for the sake of the bambino, and I warned him ahead of time what the dessert contained.

And as I already said, he liked it enough, he had seconds!

Yield: 9

Tiramisu

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 C espresso
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp + 1/2 C Amaretto liqueur, divided
• 8 oz. mascarpone
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 7oz. package ladyfingers
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the 3 egg yolks, 1 Tbsp. of espresso, sugar, and the 2 Tbsp. of Amaretto. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone, and beat 5 more minutes, or until the mixture is smooth.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites with the cream of tartar. Whip until soft peaks form.* Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the espresso with the 1/2 C of Amaretto (this should come close to being 3/4 C of liquid). Quickly dip each ladyfinger into the espresso mixture, then place it in the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish, breaking if needed to fit.

Top the ladyfingers with half the mascarpone mixture, then repeat the layers. Dust the top with cocoa powder. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, to allow the ladyfingers to soften and the other flavors to meld.

Notes

*Because of using pasteurized eggs, they may not whip to stiff peaks, even with the addition of the cream of tartar.br]
Recipe source: [Belgioioso.com