desserts and diversions

To save my sanity, I've decided I'm going to spend less time on Facebook and the news and more time on food.  Specifically, on dessert.

Last weekend we hosted a dinner party that's become an annual ritual.  Long long ago Doug and a couple buddies took a long long bike trip which culminated in a fantastic lakehouse weekend. That fall, we hosted a dinner to say thank you and to reminisce, and we have done so every year since. 

I blogged about it two year's ago, for 4.0.  This year we had to move it to January because the fall was impossible to schedule.  6.0 was the usual barn burner.  This crowd has STAMINA - we finally got up from the table and my friend Mark said, do you know what time it is?  me: I have no idea.  Him: It's 1:15am!  now THAT is the sign of a good dinner party!

Anyway, I served Chicken Marbella, cous cous with pine nuts and zesty green beans,

before

YUM

But what I want to talk about is the DESSERT. 

For the first time, I made and served Tiramisu.  Homigod.  I'm in love with tiramisu.  It's like delicious air:  not too sweet, coffee/boozy flavors, creamy and light.

I learned how to make it this summer, in Italy, during a cooking lesson at the villa in Cortona.  I love that sentence.

Italy.  I just went down that rabbit hole. Is there a better place to be? To travel? To eat?  To drink? 

I agree, there is not. 

Anyway, back to tirarmisu.  Carmela, pictured above, was our villa's chef and included in our stay was a cooking lesson, in which we made fabulous homemade pasta, and tiramisu.

 I honestly didn't think I'd like tiramisu, because it has that custard/cream element, to which I have a deep and wide aversion.  But, dear reader, can I tell you just how wrong I was?  I am deeply, madly in love with tiramisu and I think you should be, too.  It's gorgeous, it's delicious and, although a touch time consuming, it's really not that complicated.  And it is SO GOOD.

Here's how it goes:

I made a big batch - you could easily halve this and prepare it in a square dish.  I went big and put in a 9x13, since we had a group of 11 and I was desperate for leftovers.

Ingredients:
1cup espresso or strongly brewed coffee
1/2 cup marsala wine or whiskey.  I went with whiskey 'cause that's what Carmela did
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs, divided
1/2 cup sugar, divided
16 ounces mascarpone cheese
36 (14 ounces) Savoiardi Italian ladyfingers
cocoa powder

Combine coffee, 4 Tbsp whiskey, the vanilla and 2 Tbsp sugar in a large bowl or pyrex

Prepare Filling:

Vigorously whisk 6 egg yolks, 4 Tbsp whiskey and 6 Tbsp sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmer water until tripled in volume, 8-10 minutes.  Use a handheld mixer at medium speed and don't stop beating until removed from heat

 Remove from heat and beat in mascarpone cheese until just combined. Let cool.

 In a chilled bowl, whip the 6 egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.  Then fold the beaten egg whites into the cooled mascarpone mixture.  (Note, you can substitute 1-1/2 cups whipped heavy cream for beaten egg whites - it'll be a heavier, creamier tiramisu.)

THE MAGIC

dip one side of each ladyfinger very quickly into the coffee mixture, flip it, then place it in the serving pan in an even layer.  Don't let it sit in the coffee - it'll get mushy and disintegrate!

 When you've completely covered the dish's bottom, add half the mascarpone filling over it, 

 then dust with cocoa powder. 

Then repeat the entire situation one more time. 
One more layer of ladyfingers, one more layer of filling.

It's like God's lasagna.

 VOILA

Served with coffee and either Baileys, Kahlua or Sambuca?
HEAVEN.  Trust me.

Perhaps if I'd have had less sambuca I'd have remembered to take group photo!

Salute - eat some tiramisu.  It'll make you happy.