Tiramisu

OK, everyone. You knew it was going to happen someday. TIRAMISU.

This is one of my favorite desserts, and that's saying something considering I don't like coffee, custard, or vanilla cookies particularly. But take them all together, and something magical happens.

A friend of mine made this for a dinner party last year, and I begged that friend for the recipe. Reluctantly, my friend let me have the recipe, although it is a secret recipe from a family friend. So, I am not identifying anyone here, and I'm not going to put the recipe down (sorry). But I can tell you about making it!

I had Dave buy the ladyfingers and the espresso, which are key factors in any tiramisu. The recipe just said "espresso," so I had no idea how much to buy, so he bought four shots. I could probably have used a little more, but I'll just remember that next time. The ladyfinger-dunking mixture is not really a secret in any tiramisu - mix espresso, brandy, and sugar, then dunk quickly.

When I brought the tiramisu to my crochet buddies, one of them told me she had made tiramisu before and accidentally SOAKED the ladyfingers in the espresso mixture, which basically turned the cookies to mushy crap before she even got it into the pan. Oh well.

So I think the "secret" part of the recipe relates to the custard filling, so I'm not going to go into it. Suffice it to say that another vague direction got me in trouble, which meant I had about two thirds more custard than I should have. I guess that's what you get when you're using the recipe of an adorable old Italian lady who doesn't really measure stuff too accurately (or she's been buying the same boxes of stuff since the 1960s and has no idea what it says anymore).

I usually don't even mess with recipes that say things like "1 box graham crackers," or "1 jar peanut butter," or "1 carton whipping cream," but for tiramisu, I was willing to risk the vagueness.


I think you'll agree that my efforts were worth it. Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top (next time I may use chocolate shavings) and you're done.


Gah!


This delicious-looking portion is what was left in my 9 x 13 pan when I came home last night from my crochet group meeting - and after Dave had his slice, of course. So I guess I'm going to be eating a lot of tiramisu this weekend. Go ahead, twist my arm.