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Tiramisu
from Mother's Best by Lisa Schroeder
Follow the directions exactly, use the thickest mascarpone you can find, and make sure you keep everything cold and in the refrigerator until mixing together, or it will be runny and won’t hold up on the plate.
6 shots of espresso (about 3/4 c; Love Note 1)
1/3 c brandy
1/4 c Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
4 large eggs, separated (Love Notes 2 and 3)
2/3 C granulated sugar, divided
1 lb mascarpone (two 8-oz tubs)
1 cup heavy cream
40 savoiardi ladyfingers (about two 7-oz boxes; Love Note 4)
Unsweetened cocoa powder and shaved chocolate, for garnish (optional)
1. In a small bowl, combine the espresso, brandy, and Kahlúa. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Whisk at high speed until very fluffy, pale yellow and stiff, at least 7 minutes.
3. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the mascarpone. Continue whipping until very stiff, another 2 minutes. (If the mixture starts to look curdled, stop mixing. If you continue to beat, you’ll end up with butter.) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and place in the refrigerator while completing the remaining steps.
4. Wipe out the bowl of the electric mixer and add the cream. Whisk at medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high and sprinkle in half of the remaining sugar (you don’t have to be precise). Continue whipping until the cream holds stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and return the bowl it to the refrigerator.
5. Thoroughly wash and dry the electric mixer bowl and whisk attachment and add the egg whites. Beat the egg whites at medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high (don’t scrape the bowl or you could deflate the whites) and sprinkle in the remaining sugar. Continue beating until the whites hold stiff peaks.
6. Gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture (folding in a small amount of the whites at first lightens the mixture and makes it easier to fold in the remaining whites without overmixing, which would deflate the whites). Fold in the remaining whites and return the mixture to the refrigerator.
7. One at a time, dip the ladyfingers briefly (make sure they’re submerged) into the espresso mixture and place side by side in a 9x13x2-inch baking dish until the bottom of the pan is covered. (Make sure you dip for only a second – you don’t want the ladyfingers to be soaked to the center or your tiramisu will end up mushy.) Depending on how you arrange the ladyfingers, you should get 19 to 20 in the dish; you may have to trim a little off the ends of the ones in the corners.
8. Spread half the mascarpone mixture (about 4 cups) over the lady fingers.
9. Repeat another layer of dipped ladyfingers, followed by the remaining mascarpone mixture.
10. Cover with plastic wrap and wrap the dish in the refrigerator to chill overnight before cutting.
11. Cut the tiramisu into thirds lengthwise and crosswise to make 9 portions. Use an offset spatula to lift each portion onto a serving plate, sprinkle with cocoa powder and top with shaved chocolate, if desired (Love Note 5), and serve.
LOVE NOTES
1. If you don’t have an espresso machine, I highly recommend stopping at the nearest café to pick up the shots rather than using instant espresso. The flavor is far superior.
2. Separating eggs require care and caution. If just a drop of yolks gets in the whites, they won’t whip up. That’s because the yolk has fat, and just a little fat, oil or soap (even residue on plastic containers) can keep the whites from whipping. To ensure the whites stay pristine, crack an egg into a small bowl, scoop out the yolk with your (clean fingers, and place it in a separate bowl. Then dump the egg white into its own bowl. Repeat with the remaining eggs. This way if a yolk breaks during cracking, you’ll only have to toss out one egg, not the whole batch. By the way, whites whip best when they are at room temperature.
3. This dish is made with uncooked eggs. Although the risk is very low (about 0.005 percent according too the American Egg Board), substitute pasteurized eggs if you’d prefer.
4. The best ladyfingers for this recipe are very dry and crisp. They’re often called savoiardi and are imported from Italy. If you can’t find these and your supermarket only has soft, cakelike ladyfingers, you will need to let them dry out in the oven first. Moist ladyfingers will soak up too much liquid and the tiramisu will be mushy. To dry them out, arrange them on a baking sheet and place in a 250F oven for about 20 minutes, until brittle, flipping each one over halfway through.
