Every Italian meal deserves a grand finale, and sometimes this should be Tiramisu, with the ladyfingers dipped in espresso and the layers of creamy custard. Several weekends ago, we hosted a group of adult nieces and nephews for the 2nd annual Schlabach cousins Chattanooga Chill ‘n Swill. We all cooked Saturday’s dinner together, an Italian feast with homemade pasta and bolognese, arancini, and caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, peaches and burrata cheese. And Kelsey and Heather helped me prepare Tiramisu for dessert. It was divine! Here is that recipe, adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian cookbook. The recipe uses a 9 inch x 9 inch pan and makes 9 servings. For my demonstration recipe, I did one and a half of the recipe and used a 9 inch x 13 inch pan. Ladyfinger cookies can be difficult to find at your local grocery store; I have found them at both World Market and Fresh Market. I’m sure you can order them from Amazon as well.

Tiramisu

2 c. freshly brewed espresso (or strong coffee)

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. dark rum (My new fave is to sub 1/4 c. Kahlua for the rum; adds coffee flavor and tastes less boozy. If you have it on hand, add a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream.)

45 ladyfinger cookies

Filling:

1/3 c. sugar

6 large egg yolks

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 c. mascarpone cheese, room temp (thats two 8 ounce tubs)

2 tsp. vanilla

unsweetened dark cocoa powder

In a saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water to make a simple syrup. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add this to the espresso and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the rum. Pour this liquid into a shallow bowl and set aside.

Prepare the filling: set up a double boiler, using a heatproof bowl over a cooking pot. Add water to the pot. Keep the level below the bottom of the bowl when it is set on top of the pot. Separate the egg yolks (discard the whites) and vigorously whisk in the 1/3 c. sugar until the sugar has dissolved, for about two minutes. Place the mixture into the heatproof bowl and set this over the simmering pot of water, on medium heat. Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the yolk mixture for about 6 minutes, until it is thick, smooth and tripled in volume. Remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool, stirring frequently.

Beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set this aside. Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla to the cooled yolk mixture and beat with a mixer until smooth and well combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream.

Now time to assemble the Tiramisu. Use a 9 inch square cake pan. Using 15 ladyfingers, carefully dip each one in the espresso liquid and line them tightly together in the bottom of the pan. They tend to fall apart once they hit the liquid so you need to work quickly. I put two in at a time and count 1-2-3 and then take them out and position in the pan. Spread with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat each layer two more times for a total of three layers of lady fingers and pudding. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. I find it is perfect if I prepare this in the morning to serve that evening. Just before serving, sprinkle the top with a dusting of dark cocoa powder. Use a strainer if there are any lumps in the cocoa. Cut into squares. Makes 9 servings.

*Note: I had more than 9 guests when I prepared this so I made 1.5x this recipe and used a 9 x 13 inch cake pan for a total of 14 servings.

*Note: I used decaf espresso since this is consumed in the evening and who wants to be responsible for any guests’ insomnia?!