Cooking Heals

I was supposed to make this for a lunch party during Chinese New Year but did not happen as my dad was admitted to the hospital. These few days I was a little free so I thought it would be a good time to clean up the fridge to get rid of the ingredients that have been sitting in the fridge for the past couple of weeks.

I’ve made Tiramisu a few times but did not bother to take photos as it is a messy dessert to style and photograph. The photo I have here is more to document the results of the recipe I experimented. The verdict? A little too much cream for my liking. Texture and sweetness is fine. The recipe that came with the packaging of Forno Bonomi sponge fingers uses whisked egg whites instead of whipped cream. But I am a little cautious about using raw egg (concern about Salmonella) so I used whipped cream instead.

As most of us know, Tiramisu is made with mascarpone cheese, an Italian triple-cream cheese made from crème fraîche, denatured with tartaric acid (source: Wikipedia). It is, however, sold at an outrageous price here in Kuala Lumpur as it is imported. So I decided to cheat (sorry Italians), and used cream cheese to substitute half of the mascarpone. The recipe I experimented was adapted from here.

Tiramisu is not difficult to make, but as I’m getting older, I tend to get lazier too! So I’m always on the lookout for recipes that are simple yet still produce the authentic flavours. Making it is relatively easy, but styling it is definitely difficult! As this attempt is more for eating than photography, I’ll just have to wait till next time to style it in a proper way to make it look more presentable on camera! (Note: In my hurry to shoot the photograph, I neglected the slanting angle of the tiramisu – should have straighten it! Oh well…)

Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
250 g mascarpone cheese
250 g cream cheese
250 ml (1 cup) double/thickened cream
24 Savoiardi (Sponge Fingers) (I used the brand Forno Bonomi, which you can find in Village Grocer, Giant TMC or Cold Storage in Bangsar, it’s the cheapest brand available so far in KL)
Approx. 300 ml strong warm coffee (I used freshly brewed Lavazza espresso coffee), added with 2 tbsp rum (optional)
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Steps
1. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large heat proof bowl until pale and well combined, put the bowl on a pot with boiling water on the stove (using double-boil method) and continue to beat until mixture appears thick and has the texture of custard. Remove the heat proof bowl and set aside to cool.
2. Whip double/thickened cream until stiff and fluffy. I used a hand whisk to whip manually. (Tip for whipping cream: Make sure all equipment used is cold, I put the stainless steel mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for 15 – 20 minutes before whisking)
3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until properly combined. Fold in egg and sugar mixture from (1), and whipped cream to create a light and fluffy mixture.
4. Assemble the sponge and cheese mixture layers. Dip sponge fingers in coffee one at a time and arrange in a rectangular deep glass tray to form a layer. Use a spatula to spread the cheese mixture from (3) evenly on the first layer of sponge fingers. Repeat with the second layer of sponge fingers and cheese mixture.
5. Sieve cocoa powder over the surface of the assembled tiramisu and chill in the fridge for about 3 – 4 hours. Best served chilled with coffee.