Tiramisu

This is possibly the simplest dessert to make: It may be totally foolproof. The ingredients are such that, however you combine them, tiramisu cant be anything but totally delicious. Its light but creamy and you can chuck in whatever booze you have to hand.

There are many variations of this recipe, but I particularly like this one as it uses 250g of mascapone, which is the size of one tub at the supermarket. Some recipes include a mix of mascapone and cream or cream cheese, and some don't use the egg yolks which I always think is a bit of a waste.
 

 

Tiramisu: makes 9 servings in 125ml ramekins

(adapted from David Lebovitz's recipe)

 

125ml strong black coffee, cooled to room temperature
6 tablespoons marsala, other liqueur
2 large free range eggs, separated
pinch of salt
90g caster sugar
250g mascapone
1x 175g packet of savoiardi/ladyfinger/sponge biscuits (approx. 18 biscuits)
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

• Whisk the egg whites and salt in a large mixing bowl to soft peaks then gradually add in half of the sugar and continue to beat to stiff peak stage
• Transfer the egg whites to a small bowl
• Add the egg yolks and the remaining half of the sugar to the mixing bowl and beat until pale and fluffy
• Add the mascapone and either beat in to thoroughly combine
• Fold the egg whites into the mascapone mixture and set aside
• Break up the sponge finger biscuits into short lengths and put the equivalent of two biscuits into each ramekin
• Mix the coffee and rum in a measuring jug and pour over the ladyfingers in each of the ramekins (if you like the biscuits to retain some of their bite you may not need all of it, I like to leave a little aside and then check the consistency after they have had a chance to absorb the liquid)
• Leave for a minute or two to absorb and then fill the ramekins with the mascapone mixture and smooth over the top with the back of a spoon
• Dust with the cocoa powder and put in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight