My second month cooking with the Daring Bakers and I almost didn’t make it. I had a little girl’s birthday cake to finish by the same date and naturally that had to take priority!
This post has been a bit of a marathon – it’s a bit long with close to 50 images but I hope you enjoy it.
The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.
They wrote, “The perfect Tiramisu is a balance of flavors of a sweet zabaglione, strong coffee, marsala wine, creamy mascarpone cheese and the dusting of unsweetened cocoa. So when, where and how was tiramisu born?
“Tiramisu is said to have its origins in Treviso (Italy), and there are quite a few stories about how it came to be created. One story traces the tiramisu as far back as the Renaissance claiming that it was first made in honour of the visit of Grand Duke Cosimo di Medici to Tuscany. Yet another one points to the tiramisu being an adaptation of the “Zuppa Inglese” referring to the sponge cake and cream layered English Trifle.
“However, experts in this area generally agree that the tiramisu as we know it today, was born in the ‘70s. Some believe that the Tiramisu was created in the the Le Beccherie (a restaurant in Treviso). Ohters suggest that Tiramisu was first made in 1971 by an Italian baker named Carminantonio Iannaccone in a small bakery in Treviso, Italy.”
It was mandatory to make our own savoiardi / ladyfinger biscuits and mascarpone cheese with the given recipes (unless diet or health restrictions did not allow it) but we were given flexibility to present the tiramisu however we wanted and to substitute other flavours for the coffee and marsala.
Which was fortunate. I am oddity amongst English people in that I never drink tea or coffee and I’m not highly fond of desserts or cakes featuring large quantities of cream either. I’ve never ordered tiramisu myself in a restaurant but whenever I have tasted a little of anyone else’s my response has always been “yuk”.
However, I didn’t want to miss a challenge so early on, furthermore it was hosted by one of my friends, Deeba at Passionate About Baking. I’m not wild about trifle either unless I’ve made it myself so I hoped the same logic would apply to Tiramisu and that if it was home made that I would enjoy it.
Plus there was a lot I would learn by making this recipe; such as how to make:
- Mascarpone cheese
- Zabaglione
- Creme patissiere
- Savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits
- …and the tiramisu itself.
So if my reason to join Daring Bakers was to make new things I had no excuse to opt out even if I didn’t like coffee, sherry and cream.
My alternative Tiramisu flavour has been influenced by two things. I recently watched Disney’s Princess and the Frog at the cinema, Ted’s first trip. It was a wonderful film like Disney used to make with proper animation by human beings instead of loads of CGI effects. The story is set in New Orleans in the 1930s with a jazzy soundtrack and I highly recommend you watch it even if not accompanied by children.
Secondly, on “Fat Tuesday”, The Guardian Word of Mouth blog featured a bizarre item by someone who appeared to have no interest in baking, about a regional dish from New Orleans called a King Cake. The writer had made a complete pig’s ear of the recipe and lots of people were commenting on how hideous it was. This led me to seek out real pictures of King Cake and a discovery how pretty it was when done properly. I love regional speciality bakes and made a mental note to maybe feature King Cake on my blog next year.
These two things were in my head when I was perusing the beers, wines and spirits aisle of my local supermarket for an alternative to Marsala sherry. Initially I was headed in a Malibu and coconut direction but then Southern Comfort, from New Orleans leapt off the shelf at me. I thought of a way to do my own tribute to the King Cake without having to wait until Mardi Gras 2011 – a tiramisu version.
The Southern Comfort website shows around a dozen cocktail recipes, many featuring ginger and lime. It was these flavours I chose to team up with my Southern Comfort. So you there you have it, Southern Comfort Tiramisu with Lime and Ginger was born. You heard it here first.
I used lime juice instead of lemon throughout, made my zabaglione with lime and Southern Comfort, the creme patissiere with stem ginger syrup and chopped crystalised ginger and soaked the biscuits in gingerbeer, lime and Southern Comfort.
Although I had been daunted by the number of things to do and the necessity to spread creating this dessert over several days, actually all stages went very smoothly and I was very pleased with the results. I put the final result in the freezer for two hours before cutting. The alcohol was not overwhelmingly strong and you could easily make this with just the lime and ginger beer if you wanted an alcohol free version.
The recipes for mascarpone cheese, savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits, zabaglione, creme patissiere and tiramisu are all shown below. My variations on the recipe provided for the Daring Baker’s challenge are shown in bold italics.
MASCARPONE CHEESE
(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese
(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese
Ingredients:
500 ml whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice instead)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice instead)
Method:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.
LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner’s sugar
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner’s sugar
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.
TIRAMISU
(Recipe source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings (I’d say it was easily 8 servings and I’m greedy)
Ingredients: For the Lime and Southern Comfort zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee) (omitted and substitute with 30 mls lime juice and 30 mls Southern Comfort)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (substitute with lime zest)
(Recipe source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings (I’d say it was easily 8 servings and I’m greedy)
Ingredients: For the Lime and Southern Comfort zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee) (omitted and substitute with 30 mls lime juice and 30 mls Southern Comfort)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (substitute with lime zest)
For the vanilla stem ginger pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (substitute with 1/2 globe stem ginger finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract (substitute with 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup)
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk
For the whipped cream:
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (substitute with 1/2 globe stem ginger finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract (substitute with 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup)
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk
For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract (substitute with 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup)
To assemble the tiramisu:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract (substitute with 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup)
To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed (substitute with 200ml ginger beer)
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional) (substitute with 50ml Southern Comfort and juice of half a lime)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder (substitute with coloured sugar)
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional) (substitute with 50ml Southern Comfort and juice of half a lime)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder (substitute with coloured sugar)
Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the whipped cream:
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8″ by 8″ should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Working quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.
you've taken this to a new height sarah. this looks like a grand creation and i like the pictures.
Sarah, I'm a sucker for Tiramisu…..and though I've made it at home, I've never made the individual components. I ? your sources of inspiration!
Anazmign Tiramisu Sarah! I love it and it's so original! How do you find the time to do all of this? You're a wonder! 😀
What a mammoth feat but so worth it. The pictures are amazing – the zingy colours just jump straight out at you. I particularly liked the close ups of the stem ginger in the white bowl against the background of the blue. Beautiful. And I'm sure it tastes great too! Hooray!
Beautiful tiramisu.
Bravo!!
See soon.