Tiramisu

I recently overheard someone ask John what my "go-to" dish would be and his answer was this tiramisu. Frankly, I don't agree but I can say that is generally well received- John absolutely loves it.... I start with 6 egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar in the electric mixer- beating it for 3 or 4 minutes until it is thick and pale lemon colored. Meanwhile I set a medium sized saucepan with an inch or two of water over high heat until it just starts to bubble. I turn the heat down to low and set the mixer bowl over the saucepan forming a make-shift double boiler. I cook the egg mixture for about 10 minutes until it thickens slightly- scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently to avoid cooking the eggs to the bowl. At that point I combine the warm egg mixture with one container of mascarpone cheese and whisk until combined. I like to this right away, the heat helps the cheese incorporate faster. I immediately place this mixture in the refrigerator. I clean out my mixer bowl and place it in the fridge for a couple of minutes to ensure that its cool before whipping 1 cup of cream with about 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Once the custard mixture is cooled to at least room temperature, I very gently fold the whipped cream in until well combined. Now for assembly... I use two package of fresh/soft lady fingers for this recipe. (You might have a couple left over.) You can normally find these in the bakery section of your grocery store. The hard lady finger cookies will also work but you'll need to let the tiramisu set up overnight to ensure they have time to soften. I mix approximately 2/3 cup of strong coffee with 1/3 cup Kahlua-dunking each lady finger lightly and layering into the bottom and/or up the sides of a dish. I've found that a large bowl or even a 9x13 glass baking dish works well. I've also made individual ones before in ramekins or parfait glasses. In this instance I used a souffle dish which was also great. I then scooped half of the custard-cream mixture into the bowl and topped with another layer of dunked lady fingers.

Finishing off with the remaining cream and then a dusting of cocoa powder over the top. TIP: I like to leave room between the edge of the dish and the top of the tiramisu (avoid filling it to the brim) so that you can cover it with plastic wrap without smudging your cocoa all over the place. I like to give this at least 4-6 hours to set up in the fridge before serving- however you could definitely prepare this a day or two in advance of serving. The layers and flavors all blend into each other over time. POP QUIZ: What does "Tiramisu" mean (roughly) in Italian?? Leave a comment!