Sponge fingers, booze and bumnuts

Hopefully you found something useful in the last post.

The original alcohol used in Tiramisu is...I don't know. For zabaglione it's sweet marsala, for zuppa inglese it's alchermes, but any number of things can be put in tiramisu, even a blend. A lot of people swear by Frangelico, a hazelnut flavoured liqueur. This is very good, but it is by no means the only option, and in fact I believe that there should be two different alcohols added to the two components of the dessert. A nut flavoured liqueur for the coffee, and a quality spirit added to the mascarpone cream. For the nut flavoured liqueur, Frangelico (hazelnut), Nocello (walnut) or Amaretto (almond) are the only ones I know of. Any are good to use, but be catious with Amaretto because it has a very strong and penetrating flavour which can dominate.

All the best italian desserts are seriously boozy. Don't skimp on the alcohol, use the good stuff and use enough.

Brandy is a good all round option to add to the mascarpone. The basic theory is that you add a softer liqueur to the stronger flavoured coffee, and a strong, powerful spirit to the softer mascarpone, which gives you balance and complexity in the dessert.

Liqueurs are around 18% - 21% alcohol and contain a lot of sugar. Spirits like brandy are between 37.5% and 40% alcohol.

To be a purist, I would recommend grappa. It can be hard to find good grappa in Australia, and it has a reputation here for being 'rocket fuel'. However, a good grappa is excellent and is my top recommendation for tiramisu. Other options to consider are fruit 'eau de vie' like kirsch (cherry), slivovitz (plum) or poire william (pear). Of these, I would suggest that slivovitz would be the top option, but brandy is really better than any of these.

Onto the sponge finger biscuits, and I know that many people would say that you have to make the biscuits yourself, the savoiardi. I disagree. Here in Australia we have excellent quality savoiardi available in most supermarkets, from a company called unibic. They contain nothing (i recall...) but flour, sugar, eggs and a bit of high quality fat. I use these.

It look like this post is turning into a recipe! It wasn't meant to be.

On to the subject of eggs. I was taught that it is a good idea to create a mascarpone 'mousse' by beating whole eggs into the mascarpone. The process is to separate the eggs, beat the yolks with sugar, fold them into the mascarpone then beat the whites and fold them in to the mascarpone/egg yolk mixture. The alcohol is added to the egg yolks or the mascarpone before the whites are folded through.

This process lightens the dessert, and I think it is a good idea. You can also beat the mascarpone a bit, but you have to be careful when doing this because it has such a high fat content that it will separate very quickly. Beat it just until it starts to thicken, then stop immediately otherwise it will start to go grainy and separate.

So, in conclusion, here is a recipe, without quantities. Try to do it somewhere that's below 25 degrees centigrade:

Brew espresso coffee and add sugar and your favourite nut liqueur (Nocello, Frangelico or Amaretto). Don't over sweeten, there is a lot of sugar in the liqueur.

Separate a couple of eggs and beat the yolks with sugar until thick and pale, add some grappa and beat into the mix. Lightly beat mascarpone, and beat egg whites to a soft peak. Add egg yolks to mascarpone, fold together, then add whites to the mix and fold through.

Start soaking your sponge finger biscuits in the coffee mix. Soak them so that they are moist, but not sodden and disintegrating. If you look like you're going to run out of coffee, then make some more! Don't start skimping on the soaking because you can't be bothered to make more coffee. Cover the bottom of a shallow flat dish with the biscuits, then put a layer of the mascarpone mix on top, then a layer of soaked biscuits, then another layer of mascarpone. Finish off with grated dark chocolate, 60% cocoa or above.

Thats it. Simple. Don't take shortcuts and it will be the best tiramisu you have ever had. Make sure the mascarpone is actually sour.

Stand by for my next post pretty soon, as I'm starting a new venture...pastry lovers in south-eastern australia, be very excited!