Recipe - Tiramisu (D)

6 ounce Bought ladyfingers, enough
to make two layers in a
13X9 casserole (up to 8)
1 One fourth cup Prepared unsweetened strong
espresso (strong instant
coffee works pretty well)
6 tablespoon Grand Marnier
16 ounce (about 2 cups) mascarpone
cheese (up to 171/2)
One fourth cup Dark rum
5 lg Eggs, separated
6 tablespoon Granulated sugar
2 cup Heavy whipping cream
One half teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon Salt
Unsweetened cocoa powder for
sifting over the top

Ok, here's the tiramisu recipe using all the egg, from _Maida Heatter's
Best Dessert Book Ever_. My notes follow.

a 13X9 casserole that holds at least 14 cups

1. Mix the expresso and the Grand Marnier. Place half of this mixture into
a shallow bowl for dipping the ladyfingers into.

2. Dip each ladyfinger in the expresso mixture, being careful that they
don't disintegrate. Place them flat side down in the casserole to form a
pretty solid layer, trimming and pieceing where necessary. Drizzle any
remaining espresso over the ladyfingers. Set the casserole aside.

3. Whisk the mascarpone and rum together in a large bowl until smooth. Set
aside.

4. In the top of a double boiler over warm water on mediumlow heat, beat
the yolks with 3 Tbsp of the sugar until light and foamy. Remove from the
heat and immediately beat into the mascarpone/rum mixture. Set aside.

5. Whip the cream with the vanilla until just firm. Fold the mascarpone
mixture gradually into the whipped cream. Set aside.

6. Beat the egg whites with the salt until it forms soft peaks. Gradually
add the remaining 3 Tbsp of sugar until the whites hold a stiff peak but
not until dry. Add the beaten whites all at once to the mascarpone/cream
mixture and fold together.

7. Pour half of this mixture over the ladyfingers in the casserole. Smooth
the top.

8. Prepare the second half of the ladyfingers as above, laying them on top
of the smoothed cheese mixture.

9. Pour the rest of the cheese mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers
and smooth the top. The dish will be very full.

10. Refrigerate uncovered.

11. After at least four hours of chilling, sift or strain a dense, even
layer of cooca over the whole surface of the tiramisu. Wipe the rim of the
casserole, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least overnight.

12. To serve, cut with a very sharp knife into rectangles (12 goodsized
servings, in my experience). Slide a wide metal spatula under a portion,
lift it, and slide it off with another spatula onto a chilled plate. Try to
keep it top side up as much as possible.

Notes: The large Pyrex 13X9 casserole isn't quite large enoughthere are
enough bits and pieces left over to make a few individual desserts in the
smaller Pyrex bowls.

When I tried dipping purchased ladyfingers in the espresso, they
disintegrated *very* quickly. I solved this problem by dividing the coffee
mixture into two liquid measuring cups, laying out the *dry* ladyfingers in
the casserole, and then drizzling the coffee over them. Worked much better
that way.

The whole combination of cheese, eggs, and cream filled a very large
bowlI don't remember if it was the 8quart or the 12quart, but it was
pretty darned full.

I didn't have any Grand Marnier, so I used some form of plain brandy.

The commercial ladyfingers I bought come in a 3 ounce pack, with a red label.
I bought three of them and had a bit leftover. I don't know if it's kosher
or not, though, since it was a very long time ago that I made this.

This is not a dish to be trying on a hot day.

Posted to JEWISHFOOD digest V97 #027

From: pixel39@skypoint.com (Jen Getty)

Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 21:46:28 0500