Tiramisu! Ricetta della mia nonna

This is the first recipe in this section of my blog. You will find a mixture of US, UK and Metric measurements. Please forgive this. Some things require entire tubs of things and if they are sold in the UK, then they're sold in metric weights and measures. I have loads of US measuring things in my kitchen as I am an American. Because I have been living in the UK now since 1992, I have started using their weights and measures. I may try to include more than one equivalent measure when I have it, but if I don't, you're just going to have to muddle along yourself. I'm not a great one for measuring, I mostly approximate. Thankfully eggs is eggs and they don't need conversion.


My husband Henry works with a woman of Italian descent. The following is this woman's grandmother's recipe.

It is so gorgeous. Tasting this proper Italian desert is like being kissed by one of Botiicelli's angels. It is especially nice to serve as your "show off" desert for dinner guests. But with all things that you serve to guests, make sure you have prepared it for your family at least once before - if not to make sure that they will like it, it also helps to work out any adjustments you may want to make.

Tiramisu

2 eggs
25o grams Marscapone (10oz UK)
284 ml double cream (10fl oz UK)
3 British Tablespoons sugar
Vino Santo OR Marsala OR Tia Maria
Very strong coffee
lady fingers or sponge fingers or trifle sponges - smaller are better - enough to cover the bottom of . . . .
a nice big rectangular serving dish
chocolate powder to sprinkle on top

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside

In another bowl whip the cream. Make sure it itsn't whipped too stiffly.

In yet another bowl, add the sugar to the egg yolks and whip them until it looks pale yellow and a bit thickened.

Add in the marscapone to the egg yolks and sugar and mix it until all the lumps of marscapone have dissolved. Then mix in the partially beaten double cream.

At this point blend in 2 big tablespoons of Vino Santo. Lastly fold in the beaten egg whites.

Set all this fluffy loveliness to one side and concentrate on the bottom layer.

Get yourself that strong coffee. If using espresso, so much the better. If you're using ordinary filter coffee, go ahead and stick a teaspoon of instant coffee in it to give it a better kick. You'll need to have about 2 good cups (if you're using the thicker trifle sponge cakes, you'll need more coffee/booze mixture because they soak up more liquid) and add about 60 ml (1/4 cup) of Vino Santo or whatever you're using. You'll use this to dip your sponge fingers in. I find that if I soak them well, they fall apart in the handling, so dip quickly and get them into the bottom of your serving dish and then drip a bit more mixture onto them when they are in place. Please enure that the sponge fingers or trifle sponges are completely sodden, they can be oozing a bit. Then spoon on your fluffy layer. If you're feeling fruity and you have enough stuff, you can make a second layer. When you have finished building this desert, sprinkle it with the chocolate powder. You're done!

I am assured that this desert is better served the day after it is made, but I have never been able to wait that long. The longest I could be asked to wait was 4 hours in the fridge. Frankly, I think I deserve some sort of willpower medal for that. The other thing about this desert is that kids usually don't like coffee or the taste of alcohol in a desert and might not even want any AND if there is any left over, it will be untouched in the fridge until you can get at it.