Tiramisu by Criscodisco

If you haven't had it, tiramisu is a dreamy Italian desert, and is pretty easy to make, with my recipe.

Ingredients

You'll need:

• 2 cups unsweetened espresso (about 16-20 shots)
• 6 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 cups mascarpone cheese
• 4 tablespoons Marsala
• about 2 packs of Ladyfingers, the hard kind
• unsweetened cocoa

Method

The amounts I use in the pictures will be different, but I'm making two batches to take to work.

If you don't have an espresso machine, you can brew a strong cup of coffee, and then run the coffee through your machine again over new grounds. If you do that, be sure to run a pot or two of just water through your machine to clean it out afterwards.

Mascarpone cheese is a creamy cheese, like a softer cream cheese. It's sweet, and I've found it at both Meijer's and Giant Eagle, usually in little tubs near the fancy cheeses. Marsala is a wine, but if you're cheap or can't find any, you can substitute Frangelica or Kahlua, but a bottle of Marsala is like 4 bucks at the grocery, and it's usually kept near the sherry.

Ladyfingers are hard little cookie things, that I've also found at Meijer's and Giant Eagle. Here's the kind I used:

If you can only find the soft kind, it's OK, but it works better with the hard kind.

Brew up your coffee and let it cool completely. If you're making espresso, realize that it will take quite a bit of time to finish.

Separate your eggs, discarding the whites on two of them. You can separate your eggs with a tablespoon, or whatever you find easiest. You should have 6 yolks, and 4 whites. Lay out all your ingredients, for ease of use. Here's all mine, minus the cocoa and ladyfingers:

If you don't have a standing mixer or at least a handheld, this is going to be very very hard to make. Beat your egg whites with 2 tbsp. of sugar, until it's frothy and kind of stiff, like this:

In a separate bowl, beat your yolks with the remaining sugar, until it's pale and thick:

Add the mascarpone and marsala to your yolk mixture, and beat until creamy and smooth, then gently fold in your egg whites:

See how it makes my spoon stand up? It should be thick enough to do that.

Figure out what kind of dish you want to make your tiramisu in. I am making them in covered casseroles, but that's only because they'll be the easiest to take to work. You can do them in a glass dish, or a springform pan. The only change will be how you arrange your ladyfingers.

Dip your ladyfingers, one at a time, into your cooled espresso. There's a science to this, as you want them to be soft but not falling apart. If you are using soft ladyfingers, brush the coffee on with a pastry brush. If you are using hard like I am, I find two quick dunks in does the trick. Be sure the whole ladyfingers is moist, and let the coffee drain out for a few seconds before laying them in your dish. Figure out your pattern that will make the most sense, and make one layer of dunked ladyfingers:

You want some room for expansion and the filling to sit. I put the 4 vertical ones in to fill space and lend support. When you have a layer, place a layer of your mascarpone mix on it, and smooth it out.

I like to dust cocoa between each layer, but it's a matter of taste. Put another layer of ladyfingers.

And another layer of mascarpone:

Place a third layer of ladyfingers, and then your final layer of mascarpone, and more cocoa. If you didn't like cocoa in each layer like I do, you would still want to put it on top.

Now, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, and preferably overnight. That will stiffen up the cheese layers immensely, and all the flavors will blend nicely. Be sure to keep it cold, too, since it does contain raw eggs.

I don't have any pictures of it cut, since they both go to work with me tonight, but it will look kind of like this, minus the mint and babies, and taller and not as drippy. Really, it's just a rough idea, I couldn't find a good pic of tiramisu in the 20 seconds I searched for one.

Enjoy!