pick-me-up

Some desserts have names that make no sense - the mendiant (French for beggar) is a rich frozen mousse, mud pie is made of much better stuff than mud, and a milkshake is always stirred, not shaken. Tiramisu, however, is perfectly named. In translation it means "pick-me-up," which is exactly what this dessert can do. No matter how bad things get, it is almost impossible not to be cheered by the generous amounts of alcohol, caffeine, and deliciously rich mascarpone mousse in this Italian favorite.

My friend Brian is a tiramisu freak. When he found out I was going to pastry school, he insisted that when we made the dessert in class, he wanted to try the result. We made tiramisu in class last week, but to be honest, I didn't love it. So when I went over to Brian's to share the results of my tiramisu education, I made a few small changes, and was much happier with the final product.

Some of the changes were made out of necessity - Brian, despite cooking often and well, prides himself on owning a minimum of kitchen gadgets and being a culinary MacGyver, to the point of not even owning a set of measuring cups. I think it's a guy thing. So making the pate a bombe (eggs whipped with softball syrup) called for in the tiramisu recipe was out. I altered the recipe to make a sabayon-based mousse instead, which could be done without an electric mixer.

Sabayons are egg yolks whipped with sugar and alcohol over a double boiler. Heating and stirring this custard whips air into the mixture as the eggs stabilize, creating a voluminous foam that will be folded with whipped cream and mascarpone cheese to create the filling. The classic tiramisu recipe calls for marsala wine to be the alcohol whipped with the egg yolks. I substituted a mixture of dry white wine (a nice Chateau St. Michelle Riesling) and brandy for the marsala when I made it on my own, and liked the end result much better.

Assembling the tiramisu is a snap - the mascarpone mousse is layered with ladyfinger cookies that have been soaked in a tasty (and potent!) alcohol and citrus-spiked espresso syrup, and a light dusting of cocoa powder sprinkled over the top. We sampled some of the tiramisu that evening, and Brian pronounced my version excellent. I consider that a meaningful honor, coming from one who is a connoisseur of the art form. I was so touched I left him most of a pan in his fridge, so he should be a pretty happy guy. Tiramisu can taste just as good or even better on the second or third day after its made, as the flavors have a chance to mellow and meld.

I've posted my version of the recipe below - at school we made these in cute little individual rings, but for the home baker I've tripled it, which fits nicely in a 9x13" baking pan or glass dish, as seen above. Hope you get a chance to make it, and let me know if you have any questions!

Tiramisu (adapted from the French Culinary Institute)

6 egg yolks

150 grams sugar

150 mL marsala, or a mixture of dry white wine and brandy

3 sheets gelatin

360 mL heavy cream

360 gr mascarpone cheese

approx. 36 ladyfinger cookies

approx. 400 mL of soaking syrup - I used a combination of fresh-brewed coffee, espresso powder, rum, Cointreau, and orange juice. I think it tastes best when the coffee flavor really comes through, so don't be shy with the espresso powder

cocoa powder for dusting

Whip your heavy cream to soft peak stage and chill. Place your gelatin in ice-cold water to let it bloom (soften up). To make the sabayon, combine egg yolks, sugar, and alcohol in a heatproof bowl (stainless steel or glass work well)an and set over a pot of boiling water. Cook, whisking vigorously, until the mixture has volume and definition - when you scrape the bottom of the bowl you should be able to see metal before the mixture rushes back in, and your whisk should leave a trail behind it. At this point remove the mixture from the heat, take your gelatin out of its ice bath, and add it to your sabayon. Mix til gelatin dissolves then cool sabayon on the counter or over an ice bath. When it is no longer warm, you can fold it together with your mascarpone cheese and whipped cream.

To assemble the tiramisu, dip each ladyfinger in the soaking syrup briefly (enough to get some flavor, not so much that it falls apart) and place in the bottom of your dish. Spread a layer of mousse on top. Repeat. If you have a very tall container, you may put 3 or more layers in; my shallow baking dish only had room for two. When you've spread your last layer of mousse, dust the top lightly with cocoa powder, and refrigerate to chill/set. Tiramisu also freezes very well. Once it's set, the fun part begins - buon appetito!