Tira-miss-u Tiramisu

I promised someone I’d make tiramisu one day after I’d received a certain cheque. Why did I have to wait? Well, it was to serve as a little treat, and because ingredients are expensive here in Malaysia so I needed the money lah…

But, came the cheque did and with the 2 day public holiday in Malaysia due to Labour Day and Wesak Day falling on May 1, here’s my tiramisu creation, thanks to LB’s whisky business.

At the risk of repeating his recipe here’s how I did it.

Ingredients:

• 250g Galbani Mascarpone cheese (You only need 200g but they only sell them in 250g here)
• Pack of sponge finger biscuits
• 3 medium sized eggs
• large cup of coffee
• 2 tbsp and 1 tsp of sugar
• Chocolate powder or Milo
• Deep flat dish

Oh and you’ll need an electric whisk or beater unless you are a masochist and like doing it by hand. First of all make the coffee. I make it thick and unsweetened and in a flat bowl so its easier to handle later. Let it cool. Make sure you make a lot because those sponge fingers soak up a lot of coffee!

Step by Step process:

1. Crack the eggs into a bowl, separating the yolk from the white. If you have a nifty little tool like LB and May then use it. Otherwise, just do what I did and use your hands. I just scoop out the yolks from the bowl quickly letting the white sift through my fingers.

2. Add 1 tsp of sugar into the bowl with the egg white and whisk it. I was using a Braun multimix and I whisked on speed #2 because I was impatient. You’ll need to whisk it for about 4-5 minutes, until the white is stiff i.e. it can hold a peak when you lift your whisk out.

See the twin peaks?

3. When that’s done, clean off the white from your whisk and move onto the yolks. Add in 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar into the yolks and beat them. For this, I used speed #1 because my bowl was too shallow and it splattered everywhere! Again, 4-5 minutes until the yolk turns a pale yellow and takes on a creamy texture.

It turns from this:

into this:

4. Then, add in 3/4 of the mascarpone cheese into the beaten yolk. I used more because I wasn’t sure what to go with the rest if I kept a quarter. Alternatively you can add in all if you like it cheesey. I’m keeping the bit left to eat with toast. Yummy I promise you (but fattening :P)

5. Whisk the cheese-yolk mix until it stops being lumpy and takes on a creamy texture. You’ll know when it turns because it’ll get easier to beat. It’ll look something like this at this stage:

6. Now, fold in the egg white mixture. How you do this is to scoop out some of the egg white mixture and then, using a spoon or plastic spatula, literally fold the cream mix around the white. Don’t stir it in or you’ll lose all the air that’s in the white. Do this until all the white is incorporated into the cream cheese-yolk mix. At this point, your mixture will look and feel airy and light.

7. Take the sponge fingers and dip them one by one into the cool coffee. Quickly lay them on a deep flat dish. I used a Pyrex dish because it had a cover - useful for storing. And I say work quickly because the sponge fingers go soft very fast.

8. When you have finished laying the base of the dish with the coffee soaked sponge fingers, spoon a layer of the cream mix over it. Repeat with another layer of sponge fingers and cream mix.

9. When done, sprinkle chocolate powder over the top. I used Milo because I had no chocolate powder on me. Now, cover and put it in the fridge to chill. Its best chilled overnight or at least 3-4 hours. Its got raw egg so you want it perfectly chilled.

Voila!

I did 2 versions. One is the kosher family-and-kids-friendly version as shown above. The other I made had brandy in the coffee liquid for those who prefer a bit more zing.

And here’s a slice of the finished product later in the day:

Galbani Mascarpone cheese - RM18.99
Vicenzovo sponge fingers - RM8.99
Savouring your own homemade tiramisu - PRICELESS!

Positively deliciozo! *smacks lips*

It wasn’t too sweet to my surprise, despite the amount of sugar that went in. And I intentionally made the coffee unsweetened and thick so the bitterness of the coffe-soaked sponge fingers counteracted beautifully with the sweetness of the cream mix and sugar coated sponge fingers. I thought it tasted very similar to my favourite tiramisu from Prego at Westin Hotel Kuala Lumpur, which is an accomplishment if I don’t say so myself!

Thanks for the recipe LB, I now have an easy dish for any potluck that may be sprung on me!

NB: I would have done 3 things differently:

1. I found the mixture a tad soft. Maybe it wasn’t chilled enough, or maybe I used one egg too many. The next time I will try it with 2 eggs instead of 3 to cut down on liquid.
2. I’d sprinkle on the chocolate powder/milo after I take it out from the fridge else it took on a gunky burnt look after being chilled.
3. I’d get a proper mixing bowl to prevent splatters

Some other Related posts: