Festive dessert: Italian Tiramisu’…….without raw eggs!

London, 4^th April 2012– The Tiramisu’ is a classic, elegant way to finish your special festive meal. You can prepare it the day before and it will taste even better!

As not everyone feels comfortable eating raw eggs (ingredient included in the classic recipe) I have substituted these with custard. Last Sunday I made the final test: My dear friend Manja invited all my family for a Barbecue and I prepared my Tiramisu’ as a dessert. The comments were unanimous – Delicious, soft and creamy.

The Savoiardi biscuits are usually used for preparing the base, but for this recipe I have used the sponge fingers which are widely available in the UK. It is important to soak the biscuits for just the right length of time. The biscuits should be soaked but not soggy. After several attempts I have established that the most effective method is to soak the sponge finger on one side only, for about 4 sec, and then lay the biscuit on the serving dish with the soaked side upwards. Recipe with step by step pictures

TIRAMISÚ

SERVES 5, PREP & DECOR 30 MINUTES

Ingredients:

• 1 egg yolk
• 100ml milk
• 2 heaped tsp of plain flour
• 250 g mascarpone
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 175g pack sponge fingers
• 4 tbsp milk (to add to the custard)
• 200ml strong coffee (I top up 2 coffee espresso with some instant coffee) at room temperature
• 3 tbsp Marsala, pale cream or sherry
• cocoa powder
• 72% cocoa dark chocolate, freshly grated

Method:

Whisk egg yolk and flour in a saucepan, add a little bit of the milk. Place the saucepan over a low heat, add the rest of the milk a little bit at a time and continue whisking gently with a balloon whisk until a smooth but thick sauce is formed. Bring to the boil briefly, remove from the stove and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl beat the mascarpone with the sugar until light and fluffy. Mix the cooled custard with 4 tbsp of milk, and then fold gently into the mascarpone mixture until smooth.

Get your serving dish ready, put the coffee and liqueur into a shallow bowl. Dip each sponge finger, about half way on one side, into the coffee mix for around 4 seconds, then lay the biscuit on the serving dish with the soaked side upwards. Lay the soaked sponge fingers side by side to form the first layer. When the first layer is ready, spread a third of the creamy mixture on top of the soaked sponge fingers, sprinkle with the chocolate and dust with cocoa.

Repeat the layer of biscuits (you should be able to obtain other two layers) and finish with a layer of mascarpone mixture sprinkled with the chocolate and cocoa.

Chill in the fridge for few hours or overnight before serving. I like to take it out of the fridge 30 min before serving to better appreciate the flavours.