Drunken Tiramisu

After working in an "Italian" Restaurant for almost ten years I had a skewed impression of what Tiramisu should taste like.  I enjoy the one served there from time to time, but after learning how to make it myself my variations are my favorite.  This is kind of like lasagna to me, now that I know how I like it to taste its hard to go anywhere and order it and actually like it.  

I'd never thought about making it at all until a coworker/friend Dudley was raving about the recipe he'd found and how good it was.  His recommendation should have come with a small Tupperware of leftovers for me to taste, however, he did eventually point me in the direction of the recipe at http://www.italian-dessert-recipes.com so I could try it myself.  

If you're considering trying this, it may seem intimidating, but its really quick and simple.  I've never actually followed the recipe exactly but over time I've been able to modify it to make it my own.  The website does provide a great base, but you'll see my suggestions below.

What you'll need is:

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup of marscapone cheese

1/8 teaspoon almond extract (any flavor you like will work)

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (you can use cool whip, i don't recommend it)

1 package(7 oz.) of lady finger cookies

1/4 cup Kahlua or coffee flavored liquor

1/4 cup dark rum (a teaspoon of rum flavoring can be substituted)

1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee

unsweetened cocoa powder

Step 1: Mix egg yolks and sugar together, stirring constantly over a double boiler.

I've never owned a double boiler,a bowl that can handle heat sitting over a pot of boiling water will suffice.

Once mixed, continue to stir over lowered heat for about 5-10 minutes until the color lightens and the mixture is creamy.

Remove bowl from heat and and continue stirring to cool and stop the eggs from cooking further.

Add flavoring of your choice and set aside.

At this point you whisk the heavy cream rapidly until it thickens and looks like the whipped cream you're used to.

It's recommended for this step to put the bowl in the freezer to help the heavy cream stay cold as you whip,

this really isn't as hard as it seems, you just have to be patient, for this amount it takes between five and ten minutes to get stiff peaks to form when you pull the whisk out.

Start to fold the whipped cream into the egg mixture gently to keep from losing the creamy texture of the whipped cream.

It will be lumpy at first, but continue to fold slowly until they are both completely combined.

This is what it should look like when you're finished combining the two.

Try really hard not to taste it because you'll get hooked, and maybe decide you don't need to make the actual tiramisu because the custard is good enough LOL

Its better to use a clear dish if you have one for the visual appeal.

This is actually a gift for Dudley so its in a Tupperware but I usually use a Pyrex dish.

Line the lady fingers up along the bottom of the dish and prepare to layer everything together.

I'm not really strict on the liquid measurements because sometimes I end up adding more as I go along, I also use instant coffee because I don't drink/brew coffee at home.

The original recipe says you should brush the liquid on, but after trying I decided that its better to just roll the lady fingers in the bowl to get it really covered and soaking through.

The substitutions for the liquid are endless, I've used Frangelico, Amaretto, and Bailey, just keep in mind that the custard is already sweet so if you use a sweet liqueur you may want to decrease the sugar in the custard.

Don't worry about it being too soggy  once you start layering you can't get any more coffee down there and you won't be happy if you bite into your tiramisu and its dry yuck!

Next you add a layer of the custard, this is a side view of what it should look like.

I usually shake the container to get the custard to settle in around the lady fingers.  

At this point you could also add a layer of cocoa powder of shaved chocolate.  I never do but I've had it made that way a few times.

Continue to layer with the soaked lady fingers until you're at the top of your dish.

Be sure to leave room for the cocoa and try not to get the custard right to the top in case you need to cover it with saran, you don't want all the custard sticking to the top.

This is the unsweetened cocoa powder I use, I have also used sweetened powder but only if I decrease the sugar in the custard mix.

Finished side view

Bon Appetit!