As you may know, I’ve got a major sweet tooth. I have never, however, made tiramisu. I know it’s a simple recipe, but I’ve just never bothered to try it. When Paula Jones of bell’alimento sent me her tiramisu recipe for inclusion in my Italian recipe collection, I realized just how easy it is. And now I might just have to try it. Thanks, Paula!
The Italian word tiramisu, literally translated, means “pick me up” – which is a reference to the ingredients in this traditional Italian dessert – and there are as many varieties of tiramisu as there are myths about its origin.
Tiramisu is an Italian layered cake that is flavored with coffee and, sometimes, a type of liquor. Original recipes did not include liquor as it was primarily intended for young children and the elderly.
Classic tiramisu is made by soaking savoiardi (Italian ladyfinger cookies) in espresso coffee. The soaked ladyfingers are then layered with a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, liquor & mascarpone (Italian cream cheese). This cream mixture is known as zabaglione in Italian. The finished cake is sprinkled with cocoa powder or garnished with chocolate shavings and is best served a day later.
The origin of tiramisu continues to be debated, although most people agree that tiramisu was invented in fairly recent history, in the 1980s, at a restaurant called “Le Beccherie” in Treviso (a city in the Veneto region). Regardless of when it was created tiramisu is a favorite dessert of restaurant-goers & home cooks all over the world – including me!
Ingredients
Directions
Buon Appetito!
