Tiramisu Time
I love how the simple word “tiramisu” conjures up anticipation. When people ask me what’s for dessert and I answer tiramisu, their faces light up, their eyes widen, and they invariably state that they must leave room for dessert. It’s just that kind of thing, tiramisu.
Today I’m featuring one of my favorite ways to have tiramisu- as sundaes, served in parfait glasses. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it always, always gets raves reviews:
Tiramisu Sundaes
Whisk 1 cup heavy cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form; cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups strong espresso (cooled to room temp) and 3 tablespoons brandy (optional).Break 4 store-bought ladyfingers in half, dip into coffee mixture until soaked but not falling apart (several seconds). Arrange two halves in a layer at the bottom of each parfait glass. Top with a scoop of coffee-flavored ice cream. Garnish each glass with a dollop of your chilled whipped cream, and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.
I got this recipe from a Martha Stewart Living magazine. Say what you will about Martha, I’ve got a whole stack of recipes from her magazines that I love.
April 25th, 2004 at 4:49 pm
what is all the fuss about tiramisu? personally, i think the humble English trifle is head and shoulders above the over rated tiramisu, especially since one has to use mascarpone (overpriced and not readily available if dont happen to live in Italy) , not regular cream to get the authentic flavor.
April 25th, 2004 at 4:58 pm
Thanks for the input, Lolita- I’d love to try making English Trifle, maybe you can email me a recipe?
April 25th, 2004 at 5:30 pm
Sure Jay, will email you my favourite from Delia Smith, but the real beauty of trifles is the amount of variations one can concoct from practically anything thats in season. A grab-it-from-the-pantry guy like yourself would appreciate that.
April 25th, 2004 at 5:48 pm
This easy Tiramisu “low fat” recipe takes about 10 minutes to make, and which contains no eggs (raw or cooked). You?ll need 4 martini glasses to present it, but goblets will do just fine. It makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
* LADY FINGERS, 1 package
* STRONG BLACK COFFEE or ESPRESSO, 1/2 cup
* COFFEE FLAVOR LIQUEUR, 2 ounces (shots)
* MASCARPONE CHEESE, 2 cups
* POWDERED CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR, 1/2 cup
* COCOA POWDER, 1/4 cup
* GROUND CINNAMON, 1/4 tsp
Directions
1. Open the ladyfingers and separate them.
2. Paint the ladyfingers with coffee combined with the coffee liqueur using a pastry brush.
3. Line 4 martini glasses with a single layer of ladyfingers, letting the cakes overlap a bit at the stem.
4. Press the cakes down a bit to fit the lines of the glass.
5. Beat cheese and sugar together 2 or 3 minutes.
6. Spoon sweetened mascarpone into glasses.
7. Top glasses off with a cap of the ladyfingers.
8. Use any remaining mascarpone to dot the ladyfinger tops and sprinkle each glass with cocoa powder combined with a touch of cinnamon.