Tiramisu

I needed a dessert for Christmas dinner and there had been previous talk among the family about Tiramisu recently.  I hadn't tried to make it before but was eager and willing to give it a try.  I know - they say to never serve a recipe you haven't tested before but what was I going to do?  Make up a Tiramisu and eat it all myself!  Uh-uh.  No.  I've skipped enough work-outs this month as it is.  I wasn't going to load up on an entire Italian dessert! 
So, I put aside the idea of serving a new recipe without testing it first and started on Christmas Eve since the recipe I found needed it to be in the fridge overnight.  Here is how it went...

Here are all the ingredients. 
Six egg yolks (only yolks)
1/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso
1/2 cup rum
30 ladyfingers (Savoiardi)
16 oz mascarpone cheese
Optional toppings:  Confectioners sugar, shaved chocolate, ground hazelnuts

The recipe called for whipping the egg yolks and sugar together but didn't cook them.  I know the recipe works that way (I think) but I was already swaying from the printed instructions and decided I would use the same egg and sugar to make a Sabayon sauce since I preferred to cook the mixture and not leave it raw.  Sure, why not change a recipe I never even used before?  For a holiday meal.  What can I say?  I'm crazy that way.

Use a double boiler. (I used a saucepan with boiling water underneath and a small stainless frying pan on top.  Don't let the water touch the bottom of the frying pan).  Add the sugar and egg yolks and whip.  I set the timer for 5 minutes and yes...I stirred the entire time.  Workouts have been scarce this month so I'm counting this one.  It should start to ribbon and turn a lighter yellow.  Keep whisking!  You don't want sweet, scrambled eggs!

Take the pan off the heat and pour the mixture into a separate bowl.  Add all the mascarpone cheese and 1/4 cup of rum and 1/4 cup of espresso and whisk together until smooth.  Whisk!  You will see a difference in the consistency.  It will be worth the aching arm, believe me.  Workout, remember?

Now leave the custard mixture and move on to a 9 x 12 x 2 baking pan.  Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of rum into the remaining espresso.  Dip the bottom half of the ladyfinger into the espresso/rum mixture and line them up in the pan.  These little biscuits are thirsty so careful not to soak them through!  Once you have a layer of ladyfingers in the pan, pour half the custard mixture over them and dip and make another layer of soaked ladyfingers on top.  Then pour the remaining custard cream over the second layer.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

I took the prepared cake out the next day and topped it off with a coating of confectioners sugar, grated semi-sweet chocolate and ground hazelnuts.  I think cocoa power could replace the confectioners sugar for a contrast but I went with the chocolate instead.  Then I thought the hazelnuts would give the soft cake some crunch.

Tiramisu!  It means "pick me up" in Italian.

  How easy is that!  Not too bad for a first time attempt!

TT