My 1st Anniversary In The Blogging World N Tiramisu-Heaven In Mouth!

Let's celebrate my first year anniversary in the blogging world by something sweet! And what can beat Tiramisu?! Tiramisu (pronounced "tih-ruh-mee-SOO") is an Italian dessert invented in the 1960' in Italy, obviously! Literally translated Tiramisu means "pick me up" or "carry me up", which probably refers to the jolt you get after eating espresso and alcohol laced ladyfingers. It is often called an 'Italian Trifle" because, like any trifle, it has layers. In this case, ladyfingers are dipped in a mixture of coffee (espresso) and alcohol (rum or Marsala), and then they are layered with a custard that has been mixed with mascarpone cheese. All these ingredients are very expensive. So this heavenly dessert can't really be prepared that often. There are variations of this recipe like using vanilla pudding and cream cheese etc replacing mascarpone. I've tried them also. I'll post another quick and easy Tiramisu recipe later on.

OK, for now, lets go to our Tiramisu recipe. The bad news is that this yummy Tiramisu recipe is unbelievably high in fat and calories. So, it is NOT suitable for people who are on a diet. This recipe doesn't require baking, just cooling in a fridge. That is why it is so popular during hot summer days. Needless to mention its nice refreshing taste.

Tiramisu
Ingredients:
2 cups espresso, cooled
1/3 cup sweet Italian vemouth or rum
40 Italian Lady finger cookies
1.1 lbs fresh mascarpone cream cheese
5 eggs
5 tablespoons of sugar
Bittersweet chocolate for shaving
Whipped cream, chocolate espresso cream mousse and cocoa powder for garnish

How to:
Separate the yolks from the whites into two different mixing bowls. In the bowl with the yolks, add sugar and beat yolk mixture with an electric mixer until consistency is creamy. Add mascarpone cream cheese and mix thoroughly. In the other mixing bowl, beat egg whites until they turn into fluffy white peaks. Carefully fold white peaks into the creamy yolk mixture.

In another bowl, mix together espresso and vermouth. Dip cookies in coffee mixture for a few seconds, making sure they are wet outside but still somewhat dry in the middle. Arrange dipped cookies in one tightly pack layer on the bottom of a cake pan. Pour 1/2 of the cream on top of the cookies and spread evenly. Add a second layer of soaked lady fingers, then evenly spread the remaining cream on top.

Plastic wrap the cake pan and leave Tiramisu to rest in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Garnish the way you like and enjoy this little pick-me-up!