Who Doesn't Love an Italian....Tiramisu!

I mean, is there anything more delicious? I have to admit that Tiramisu has always been a long standing favorite of mine, and for the longest time, I was terribly intimidated by making it. It seemed complicated, and maybe even seemed to me that someone who didn't have even the slightest bit of Italian heritage, couldn't possibly make it as well as someone from Italy. Well, I'm not saying that I make a better tiramisu than the Italians, but I will say that this one is damn good. And the best part, tiramisu is SO simple to make! Granted, there are quite a few steps involved in creating this luscious dessert, but they are all very user friendly and actually fun! I got my recipe from the good ol' Food Network website. The last time that I made this, I didn't have any rum on hand, so I subbed the amount of rum called for with equal parts espresso and marsala wine, and it turned out almost better than when I've made it with the rum. The first few rum versions that I made, my alcohol-sensitive friends didn't really care for the strong rum flavor. I think my favorite part of making tiramisu is making the zabaglione cream. Call me nerdy, but I love it when the recipe tells you that something is going to happen, and it happens! For example, when you are making the zabaglione, you whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and it is supposed to increase in size and volume. And it does! For me, it's so fun to have that kind of positive reinforcement when you're working with a recipe that intimidates you. Long story short, try this recipe! Everyone will be so impressed that you actually MADE tiramisu, something that most people only order as a treat when eating out!

Original recipe can be found here.

Tiramisu

7 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sweet marsala
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup heavy cream

1 1/8 cup brewed espresso coffee
1 ounce dark chocolate, chopped
1/8 cup sweet marsala, plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
48 ladyfingers
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

To make the Tiramisu:

Cream together egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Add 1/3 cup of the marsala and continue to whisk until mixture is thick and doubled in volume. This is basically a zabaglione. Remove from heat. Stir in the mascarpone until completely blended.
In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, to lighten.

In a small saucepan, combine espresso, chocolate, marsala, vanilla. Heat gently, and stir to dissolve the chocolate. Then, chill the mixture to cool it down, about 15 minutes. Quickly dip each ladyfinger in the chilled coffee mixture and arrange in a single layer on a 9 by 13-inch glass baking pan. Do not soak the cookies or they will become too moist. Spread 1/2 the mascarpone cream evenly with a spatula on top of the dipped ladyfingers. Repeat with a second layer of dipped ladyfingers and remaining mascarpone cream. Sprinkle top with cocoa powder. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!