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Italian Dessert: Tiramisu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tiramisu
(Italian: Tiramisù / Veneto: Tiramesù,
IPA: [tirame'su]) is one of the most popular Italian desserts.
It is made of savoiardi (lady fingers) dipped in coffee and
mascarpone cream. For many years, different sources (from Vin
Veneto, dated 1981, to the Italian Academy of Giuseppe Maffioli
and several cuisine websites) give evidence that tiramisu was
born in Treviso at "Le Beccherie" restaurant in the
hands of the confectioner Roberto Linguanotto, also known as
Loli. Different stories report the creation of the cake to have
been born in the city of Siena. Some confectioners were said
to have created it in honour of Cosimo III on the occasion of
his visit to the city. These days, the cake is characterised
by a delicate and intense taste. In order to prepare it, according
to the original recipe, the following ingredients are needed:
Savoiardi biscuits, eggs, sugar, rum and cocoa. In the original
recipe, there was no liquor as the cake was originally aimed
at children and the elderly and the original shape was round.
The name Tiramisu is Italian and means "pick me up"
(Tirami su) but can be translated figuratively as "cheer
me up".
Preparation
The savoiardi are briefly soaked in espresso with the optional
addition of brandy or sugar. They are layered with a mixture
of mascarpone cheese and zabaglione, a custard made from egg
yolks, Marsala, and sugar. Cocoa powder is then sprinkled on
top.
Typical ingredients would be 2 cups of
strong black coffee, 1/2 cup marsala, 4 eggs (separated), 1/4
cup caster sugar, 500g mascarpone, 300ml lightly whipped thickened
cream (optional), 2 packets of sponge fingers (savoiardi), cocoa
(for dusting), chocolate flakes, and strawberries for decoration
(optional).
The tiramisu is made by pouring the coffee
and marsala into a shallow dish. Set aside and keep refrigerated.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with electric beaters
until pale and thick. Add mascarpone and mix well with an electric
beater. Then add whipped cream. Using a wooden spoon, mix gently
until just combined. Refrigerate the mascarpone mixture. Beat
egg whites in a medium bowl with electric beaters until soft
peaks form. Using a wooden spoon, gently fold egg whites into
the mascarpone mixture. Dip enough biscuits into the coffee
mixture to cover the base of a ceramic dish. Cover the Lady
Fingers with 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture. Repeat layers 2
times, ending with the cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
for at least 6 hours. Dust generously with cocoa, decorate with
chocolate flakes and serve.
Tiramisu has become one of the most popular
desserts served in restaurants of all types, not just Italian
restaurants. The recipe has been adapted into cakes, puddings,
and other varieties of dessert.
History
There is some debate regarding tiramisu's origin, as there is
no documented mention of the dessert before 1983. In 1998, Fernando
and Tina Raris similarly claimed that the dessert is a recent
invention. They point out that while the recipes and histories
of other layered desserts are very similar, the first documented
mention of tiramisu in a published work appears in a Greek cookbook.
Backing up this story, the authors recalled an article that
tiramisu was created in 1971 in Treviso.
Some claim that it was first created in
Northern Italy during the First World War. Women made these
desserts for their men to take with them as they were being
sent off to war. They might have believed the high caffeine
and energy content of these desserts would give their men more
energy to fight and help bring them home safely.
A less glamorous theory explains that the
dessert was a way of salvaging old cake and coffee that had
gone cold by using the leftover coffee and perhaps some liqueur
to moisten the dry cake. The dish was greatly improved by layering
it with cream and mascarpone.
Tiramisu Cake Recipe
INGREDIENTS
0.4 c Coffee (cold)
200 g Ladyfingers (grind)
200 g Mascarpone cheese
1 tbsp confectioners’ Sugar, brim
10 g Vanilla sugar
2 tbsp Amaretto
For Coating:
50 g Cocoa powder
PREPARATION
1. Pour coffee over ground ladyfingers and leave it for 15 minutes
to soak it.
2. Mix mascarpone cheese with sugar, vanilla
and amaretto. Combine ladyfingers with cheese mixture.
3. From cheese mixture form small balls
(1 inch), roll them in the cocoa powder and place them in the
decorative paper cups.
4. Cool your delicious tiramisu pralines
in the fridge for few hours and serve it.
Buy book:
Italian Desserts
By Irene Dot and Arene Doti
Da Capo, 1998
$22.95 Paperback
ISBN-10: 1555611583
