tiramisù

S e r v es 1 0 t o 1 2

5 cups hot brewed espresso (or
double-strength drip coffee
made with espresso roast)
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. rum; more to taste
(optional)
4 large eggs, separated
16 oz. (2 cups) mascarpone
46 ladyfingers (approximately) or
savoiardi cookies, preferably
Balocco®, Bonomi®, or Elledi®
brands
2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa
powder, or 1 to 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate

This recipe calls for uncooked eggs, so keep the tiramisù refrigerated and
serve it within 48 hours. If the uncooked eggs in this dish are a concern, use
pasteurized eggs instead.

1. Pourthe coffee into a large bowl and add 2 Tbs. ofthe sugar while it’s still
   hot. Stir well and letit coolto room temperature. Add the rum, if using.
2. Combine the egg yolks and the remaining 1 cup sugar in the bowl of a stand
   mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed untilthe
   yolks are pale yellow and fluffy, about 5 minutes.(The mixture will be fairly
   thick atfirst.) Add the mascarpone and beat until it’s fully incorporated into a
   smooth cream, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transferto a large bowl.
3. Thoroughly wash and dry the stand mixer bowl and whisk. Putthe egg whites
   in the bowl and whip on medium-high speed untilthey form medium-stiff
   peaks when you liftthe beaters (the tips should curl over onto themselves
   just a little). With a rubber spatula, fold about one-quarter ofthe beaten
   whites into the mascarpone cream to lighten it. Then gently fold in the
   remaining whites,taking care notto deflate them. Cover with plastic wrap and
   refrigerate.
4. Submerge one ladyfinger in the cooled coffee untilthe coffee penetrates
   about halfway through, leaving the core dry (break itto check). This can take
   from 1to 12 seconds, depending on the type of ladyfinger(see the sidebar
   below). You don’t wantthe ladyfingerto get completely soaked or it will
   become soggy and fall apart. You should be able to feelthatthe outside is soft
   butthe inside is still firm.
5. Once you’ve determined the correct soaking time, submerge each ladyfinger individually, gently shake out excess coffee, and immediately setitin a
   9×13-inch baking dish; continue until you have one tightlayerthat covers the
   bottom ofthe dish.(You may need to break a few ladyfingers to fitin snugly.)
   Spread one-half ofthe mascarpone cream evenly on top ofthe ladyfingers.
6. Repeatthe soaking procedure with the remaining ladyfingers to create a
   second snug layer, arranging them on top ofthe mascarpone cream as you
   did forthe firstlayer. Spread the rest ofthe mascarpone cream evenly on top.
   Coverthe dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast 2 hours. Before
   serving, siftthe cocoa powder or finely grate the chocolate overthe top to
   evenly cover. —Laura Giannatempo

Choose the Right Type of Ladyfingers

What will make or break your tiramisù is texture.
The ladyfingers have to be just barely soaked
through with coffee, moist but not soggy and falling
apart. You’ll find two main types in supermarkets:
packaged, cookie-style ladyfingers (usually
imported from Italy) and soft, spongy ladyfingers
commonly sold in clear packages in the bakery
section of most supermarkets. The latter won’t do
the trick. They get too soggy too fast,resulting in a
sopping mess.Use the cookie-style instead.

how to assemble tiramisù

Break one ladyfinger after you’ve dipped
itin the cooled coffee to check thatthe
coffee has penetrated only halfway through,
leaving the core dry. The outside will be
quite soft, butthe inside should be firm.

Evenly spread halfthe mascarpone cream
with a spatula over a tightlayer of ladyfingers
arranged in a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Use a fine-mesh sieve to finish offthe
tiramisù with a generous dusting of cocoa
powder just before serving