Pick me up! Tiramisu': try the easy recipe by Tiziana
How to make a pick me up - tiramisu, very good and easy yet infallible recipe!
My mother tells me that my aunt will come to visit us! Aunt Fosca is a gritty ultra octogenarian, sister of my father, Furio. She's 84, the same age as movie legend Sophia Loren, but Fosca has a much better skin tone! She still lives in Sinalunga, in the province of Siena, where my father's family comes from (in nearby Cortona there are even a Palazzo Fierli-Petrella and a Vicolo Fierli!). So, the day before the visit, I go to my mom's to prepare my famous Tiramisu. I'm not a passionate cook (but I like to eat!), but this pick me up tiramisu recipe is really so fool proof, everyone can give it a try! The well balanced sweet and bitter will assure an always excellent dessert!
Ingredients for your easy to make pick me up tiramisu':
- 4 eggs
- 4 spoons of sugar
- Pavesini biscuits (I am well aware that in most of the recipes the biscuit will be "savoiardi" but I like Pavesini better. And nowadays, in Amazon times, they might not be impossibile to get, also in your Country!)
- 500 grams mascarpone cheese
- a couple of "American" coffee cups (decaf if also children will taste it-why wouldn't they?)
- a pinch of salt
- unsweetened cocoa powder.
Make sure that you have all the ingredients on your table and start preparing your tiramisu'! Let's start from the eggs! Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. I did it just crack opening the eggs with 2 hads, in the "traditional" way. Take a look at this video if you wish to try a new way of doing it!
First step: Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks Add 4 teaspoons of sugar in the yolk bowl
Second step: add the sugar to the yolks. Add a pinch of salt in the egg whites bowl and whisk them. You will incorporate air and the larger the bowl, the more airy the egg whites! I start with mixing the egg whites as the bowl the beaters have to be completely grease (and yolk!) free. A stiff peak will be firm and stand straight up, BUT don’t whisk too much or the whites will split and you will need to start all over again with other eggs
A stiff peak will be firm and stand straight up Add the mascarpone cheese to the yolks with sugar and mix.
Egg yolks + sugar + mascarpone cheese
Add the egg whites to the mascarpone cheese bowl. The tip is to blend the delicate mixture (the whipped eggs) into a heavier one (did I mention that mascarpone cheese is one the fattest cheese on earth? ehm...), using a rubber spatula, spoon, or wire whisk in a gentle up, down, and over motion so that the mixture stays light, and your tiramisu' cream is ready!
The bowl with the mascarpone cheese mix and the whisked egg whites
Pour some coffee on the plate and soak the pavesini biscuits. Not too much!
Don't soak too much the pavesini biscuits!
Place the pavesini biscuits on the bottom of the bowl / tureen / tray / pie dish, until the botton is fully covered up. Spread a layer of mascarpone cream, then sprinkle a some little cocoa powder
The first layer of pick me up tiramisu' is done! Put another layer of biscuits, then cream, then cocoa powder and continue until you run out of one of the ingredients or until your bowl starts to look too full. In this second case, you can prepare other cups of pick me up tiramisu'. The last layer will have to be cocoa powder.
The tiramisu' is done, now in the fridge! Now the problems begin! The most difficult challenge is now not to eat it right away! You can prepare it in the morning for the dinner, but served the next day it will be just great!
Buon Appetito!
Tips:
Before - It may seem an unnecessary precaution, but the first thing to do is to verify the quality of the cheese. Sometimes it happens that the cold chain breaks and the mascarpone cheese is not good anymore. You will discovered it only by opening the package before using it. It must have a slight, barely perceptible smell. Should you smell an unpleasant rancid odor, return it immediately to the store!
During - Do not use a lot of cream in the first layers. Leave it to the force of gravity and make sure that you have enough cream for a thick last layer.
After - While in the refrigerator, it is normal that the surface of the tiramisu' absorbs the cocoa powder. Amyway, do not sprinkle too much unsweetened cocoa powder on its top, to avoid that your guest inhale it and start coughing! If you do not like the look of your tiramisu', just sprinkle some unsweetened cocoa powder just before presenting the dessert to your guests.
Raw Eggs Warning
When I recently talked to a friend about my pick em up tiramisu recipe, she brought up a new subject: it does contain raw eggs! Some persons do not want or are not allowed to eat raw eggs, such as pregnant women, because of the risk of salmonella. According to one study (see link), the likelihood of getting Salmonella poisoning is very low since only 0.003% of the eggs should be affected, so 1 egg out of 30,000. One solution could be to buy eggs from so-called "small organic farms". where the chickens live outdoor, have enought space and are fed with natural food as studies show the salmonella danger increases in caged chickens eggs. However, if you want to play it safe and still want to make an excellent tiramisu, I recommend replacing the eggs with 400 ml of whipped cream, which can be mixed with the mascarpone and the sugar to form a light crème for the tiramisù.
2020 Edit: Or buy safe to consume raw eggs (see picture above!)