Tiramisu.. next step up..

[DietitianInTraining]

OKay, for Thanksgiving i made this cheaper version of Tiramisu, that everyone loved.

I don't have the recipe with me, but it was mostly vanilla pudding, whipped cream, vanilla wafers soaked in coffee, and grated semi-sweet chocolate.

I know this is not 'actual' Tiramisu, and was thinking about trying to make a better version of it, if not the actual way. Dosn't 'actual' Tiramisu have a liquour in it?

Thanks for your help!

 

[JulesMichy]

Actual tiramisu has espresso in it, not necessarily a liqueur. The hardest part about making tiramisu, for me at least, is finding the marscapone cheese.

 

[DietitianInTraining]

Hm.. yeah, i've never even heard of marscapone cheese..

It dosn't necessarily have to be 'actual' tiramisu.. i was just wondering if there is another version that's a bit harder than the one i've done, but not *too* hard.. lol

Since everyone loved it last time, i might just make it again to be safe. I was just curious.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I just made a "real" one for the first time and all the recipes I read called for some sort of alcohol - usually Kahlua or dark rum. Also espresso or very strong brewed coffee with espresso powder or crystals. And it is sometimes hard to find the mascarpone but it's available at most upscale type grocery stores.

It's really not hard to assemble and you owe it to yourself to try this, beginner. It's fantastic!

 

[suziquzie]

I've never had trouble finding mascarpone, even at a non "upscale" store. It's by the ricotta, sometimes cream cheese. If you google a mascarpone substitute I know there is one, I just can't think of it. I think you use cream cheese mixed with whipped cream.

 

[JulesMichy]

I've never had trouble finding mascarpone, even at a non "upscale" store. It's by the ricotta, sometimes cream cheese. If you google a mascarpone substitute I know there is one, I just can't think of it. I think you use cream cheese mixed with whipped cream.

You gotta remember, most of us only have a Wal-Mart superstore or a Kroger in our hometowns. And no, they don't carry marscapone. Whenever I want some, it's an hour drive to Indianapolis and a gourmet cheese shop.

I've made tiramisu both ways - with liqueur and concentrated espresso - and I like the espresso better. The liqueur made it too sweet.

 

[Yakuta]

Hi Beginner Chef, you can make a cheaper version of tiramisu with readily available ingredients. It will be better than your bare basic version and you don't need to dish out the bucks for the expensive marsala wine or mascarpone cheese.

I entertain a lot and I have made two trays of Tiramisu for 60 people. It would be a heck lot expensive if I used Mascarpone so I substitute. I used the ladyfinger cookies but you can use cake instead. I have also bought white cake mix and baked it in a sheetpan and then cut it into fingers and used that with a good amount of luck.

The cream should be made using 1 8oz block of cream cheese and 1 pint of whipping cream. I like to first beat the cream cheese until it's light and fluffy with a paddle attachment and then switch to a whisk and pour in the cream and add some sugar (to taste) and some vanilla and a bit of almond extract. Beat it until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Make super strong coffee and let it come to room temperature

Arrange a layer of cake fingers or whatever you use and then brush the coffee on top of it ( I use a pastry brush). Pour some cream, repeat cake and cream finishing with the cream. Dust it evenly with unsweetened cocoa powder or grated dark chocolate.

Key is to let this sit in the refrigerator for atleast 12 hours before serving. If you keep it for 24 hours it will be even better.

The key is not to make the cake too moist and not put a ton of cream in each layer. This produces a nice stiff cake like tiramisu and truly it's hard to know that it is made without mascarpone if you get the cream cheese and whipped cream proportion correct. If you don't add enough heavy cream the mixture will not be light and will taste like a dense cream cheese and you don't want that.

 

[DietitianInTraining]

Thank you Yakuta!! I think i just might be able to do that. So would you say that the you want to get the cream mixture as fluffy as possible? I'd hate to make it and have it taste like a dense cream cheese!! I've heard of 'Lady Fingers' before, but have never actualy seen them.. So it turned out alright, doing it with a white cake mix? Thanks again!

 

[DietitianInTraining]

Oh also, last time i made this (since it was mostly pudding) the directions said to serve it in a big bowl. Is this going to be more like a cake? Or will it be in a bowl as well?

 

[JulesMichy]

I always make mine in a glass casserole dish.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Oh yes, definitely a glass dish. The sides with the lovely layers of ladyfingers and creamy filling are really impressive looking.

 

[wysiwyg]

beginner chef,
If you live near a Trader's Joe, you can get mascarpone and lady fingers. The original Italian recipe calls for liquor with the coffee (ruhm generally) to dip the ladyfingers and in the mascarpone mix (Marsala). The ingredients for 5/6 people are:
3 large eggs separated (whites optional instead of heavy cream)
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
8 oz of mascarpone
2 cups of strong brewed coffee, room temperature
Dark rhum and Marsala wine
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream (optional instead of egg's whites)
8 oz (about 20 to 30) ladyfingers
Cocoa
Grated semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Preparation
Make coffe, mix with 3 tbspoons of rhum and let it chill
Beat egg yolks, add sugar and salt and keep mixing until pale yellow (about 5 min.)
Add mascarpone gradually keeping the mix homogeneus
Add 2 tbspoons of Marsala wine.

In a separate bowl, either beat the cream or the egg whites until holding stiff peaks.
With egg whites, you will have a lighter dish, with cream something tastier.

With rubeer spatula, fold 1/3 of the whipped cream/whites into the mascarpone mix.
Gently fold the rest mixing gantly until no white streaks remain, set mix aside.

Lay one thin layer of mascarpone mix in a rectangular glass or ceramic baking dish.
Sprinkle cocoa and grated chocolate
Pour coffe in a flat bowl and dip ladyfingers one at a time, rolling them in the coffee for not more than 2/3 secs. This is so they don't oversoak and crumble when in the dish.
Cover mascarpone mix in baking dish with one layer of soaked ladyfingers.
Cover with another layer of mascarpone, add cocoa and grated chocolate.
Add a second layer of soaked ladyfingers and a final layer of mascarpone mix.
Chill in fridge for min. 6 hours, dust a final layer of cocoa/chocolate, cut into pieces and serve. Eat and feel the calories getting into your body.

 

[JulesMichy]

Why do you spell rum "rhum"?

 

[wysiwyg]

JulesMichy,
Thank you for catching it. My bad, it is French spelling. Not that I am French, but I was born abroad and lived there and sometimes I spell things incorrectly.

 

[Yakuta]

Beginnerchef as others stated I also like to use a glass dish or when I am making it for a lot of people I like to use foil pans with the plastic lids on them (they are available at Walmart and most other stores). The plastic lids are high enough to keep the beautiful cocoa undisturbed and you can keep any refrigerator smells out of it.

And yes I have made it with the white cake mix fingers and the key is to not soak them in the coffee but apply it with a brush so you get the same outcome.

Our family is a completely alcohol free one so this recipe works for us. I also don't like to use raw eggs in my cream (as the original recipe calls for). In general this works well if you go by taste and feel of the cream.

All the best.

 

[wysiwyg]

Yakuta,
The recipe I provided can be modified to cook the eggs in case someone doesn't want to use raw eggs. You need to prepare the eggs mix (without the alcohol) in a double boiler.
I prefer to add the upper layer of cocoa just before serving to avoid the chocolate stained look on the cream.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Yakuta,
The recipe I provided can be modified to cook the eggs in case someone doesn't want to use raw eggs. You need to prepare the eggs mix (without the alcohol) in a double boiler.
I prefer to add the upper layer of cocoa just before serving to avoid the chocolate stained look on the cream.

Yours is exactly the recipe I used, wysiwyg, and it came out wonderfully! I opted for the double boiler method for the egg yolks and the heavy cream rather than egg whites. The only mistake I made was to get the ladyfingers a little too soaked in the coffee mixture. You can't tell at the time but after 24 hours in the fridge, I noticed when I served it, there was some of the coffee in the bottom of the dish. Next time, I'll probably brush them rather than dip them in the coffee.

 

[wysiwyg]

Hi Fisher's Mom,
I had many of these made with oversoaked ladyfingers LOL. I can't remember who told me just to dip/roll them for not more than 2 secs in the coffee, to keep the integrity.
I also like the heavy cream version (with a tad of salt) since is very tasty.
The egg's whites is lighter, but requires (I think) a bit more sugar and liquor. A friend of mine makes this dish with Frangelico on the coffee and Cointreau or Triple Sec on the mascarpone mix.
That sounds like a real tasting extravaganza LOL

 

[Fisher's Mom]

A friend of mine makes this dish with Frangelico on the coffee and Cointreau or Triple Sec on the mascarpone mix.
That sounds like a real tasting extravaganza LOL

Oh, oh, oh! That sounds completely divine. I will be doing that this week!

 

[Yakuta]

Thanks wyswig and fischer's mom for the egg cooking method. I do admit however that I am a bit lazy to go through all this effort for very little to no enhancement in the flavor of the end product.

I like to do all the mixing in my kitchenaid. The fewer the dishes to tackle cleaning the better for me.