Tiramisú Recipe

I find myself, once again, on a mission to convince people that this is not a "food blog". Tonight after the Santa Barbara concert with Joshua Bell a couple of people referred once again to my "food blog".  I promise I will come back to music and other important matters soon. In the meanwhile, in case you get hungry, here's my recipe for an Italian favorite.....;-))

Alessio's Tiramisu. (As featured on Classic FM)

-4 eggs separated

-500 grams of mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

-2 tablespoons of vanilla paste, or the seeds from two pods. Substitute with vanilla extract, if necessary

-A drop of cognac, or whisky

-Powdered sugar (taste the mix to know the quantity. The mix should be as sweet as you want the final Tiramisú to be, as the unsweetened espresso will make it more bitter but the sugar on the cookies will sweeten it a bit)

-Dark, bitter and strong espresso (a few cups, as needed). Make sure you don't just let the espresso machine run and keep adding new coffee grounds for each shot. 

-A pinch of salt

-Savoiardi cookies (Italian ladyfingers) 

-Bitter cocoa powder

-Dark chocolate, to be finally shaven (at least 70% cocoa) 

Whisk the egg whites in a metal bowl, with a pinch of salt, until stiff 

In a separate metal bowl mix Mascarpone, vanilla, yolks and sugar until evenly combined

Fold in the egg whites

Combine the espresso (wait for it to cool or add a couple of ice cubes) and the alcohol in a bowl and dip the Savoiardi until softer but not soggy.

Assemble the Tiramisú in layers in a ceramic or glass cake pan of any shape.

Cover and refrigerate overnight

Sift cocoa powder on top of the Tiramisú, and top with some dark chocolate shaven with a vegetable peeler right before serving.