Roman Around for Tiramisu

The wait is over! G-baby (as she will be called from here on in) made her entrance on a Sunday afternoon. Being totally objective (lol), she is the most perfect baby ever. My kid has been asking me a ton of questions, and my response is usually, “I don’t remember”. You forget a lot in 30 years. What I do remember from way back when, was thinking, I’m never going to forget this moment”. Life’s little ironies.  Like all first-time parents, they are both thrilled and shell-shocked; there really isn’t a way to prepare for it. They may not realize it, but they’re doing great.

We arrived in NYC a little over 2 weeks ago, and since then, the Lovin Spoonful song…”hot town, summer in the city, back my neck getting dirty and gritty…” has been running through my brain. Whew, it has been hot and humid.  While waiting for the baby to make her appearance, I decided I should make something for her.  Wes made a “My Little Pony” rattle, as this is the year of the Horse, which inspired me to pick a craft project. I decided on knitting a strawberry baby beanie; how hard could it be?

Apparently, my baking and cooking IQ is much higher than my knitting IQ.  I ended up at a knitting group session in Bryant Park (it was 94 degrees, thank goodness for shade) hosted by Knitty City.  Needing additional help on the hat, I went to their store the next day, conveniently close to where the kids live.  If you are in UWS and are a knitter, do visit Knitty City.  They are single-handedly responsible for saving baby’s beanie, lol.

Comfort Zone

Dinner at a friend’s, where I volunteered to bring dessert, brought me back to my comfort zone.  My first thought: what can I make for dessert without turning on the oven?  I decided on Tiramisu—no baking required.

My go-to recipe is from NYTCooking by Alison Roman. It’s fairly simple to make, with the caveat that it needs to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.  This allows the Tiramisu to set and for the flavors to meld.  So start early!  I headed to the iconic Di Palo’s on the edge of Chinatown and Little Italy for some Mascarpone. While there, I couldn’t resist picking up some house-made Calabrian chili and a jar of anchovies for  Four Tomato Pasta Sauce.  

It’s a beautiful, old-school space with wonderful cheeses and meats, and a very knowledgeable staff.  Worth a visit.

Tips for Tiramisu

For the most part, the ingredients in tiramisu are things you would find in your pantry.

Mascarpone– Think of it as an Italian cream cheese. Made from cream, it is softer and less tart than cream cheese.  It can be found in most major grocery stores, Trader Joes and Italian Cheese shops.  Remove it from the fridge so it is still cold when you are ready to use it.   Otherwise, your Mascarpone-cream mixture will be runny.

Ladyfingers– Light, airy, dry, slightly sweet biscuits that absorb liquids like coffee well..  Commercially available ladyfingers are a boon to making Tiramisu.  Of course, you could make your own, but that takes this dessert out of the simple recipe category.  Most supermarkets carry ladyfingers; find them in the cookies and crackers or international food section.  Savoiardi, is the Italian term for ladyfingers. The key is to dip each biscuit for about 1 second per side.  Too long and the biscuit will fall apart.

Cocoa Powder- Dutch-processed cocoa powder provides the deep rich color on top of the Tiramisu, but you could use whichever cocoa powder you like.  To increase the chocolate flavor, dust each layer with cocoa powder.

Coffee: brewed strong coffee, espresso, or coffee made with espresso powder are options.  I’ve never gone out and bought coffee to make Tiramisu.

Alcohol– Traditional Tiramisu doesn’t have alcohol, but it seems to have become a mainstay in versions here. Roman’s recipe calls for rum or Cognac. I like using Kahlua to amplify the coffee flavor.

Here we go! Here’s the Tricky Part

If there is a difficult step to Tiramisu, it is the filling.  Start with room temperature eggs, add sugar, and beat until light and creamy. When you lift the beaters, the batter will create ribbons as it falls back into the bowl.  The original recipe calls for folding the mascarpone into the whipped cream.  The densities are too different, making this tough to do. Instead, fold the mascarpone into the egg mixture before folding in the whipped cream.  Start with cold mascarpone, this helps keep the final mixture thick, not runny. 

MIse en place is important. Set up a workstation to assemble the tiramisu.

Dipping the ladyfingers is also tricky.  Too little and the tiramisu will be dry and the flavors will not meld as well.  Too much and the ladyfingers will disintegrate before making it into the dish.  Dip the rounded side first for 1 second, then flip it over and dip the flat side for 1 second and place in the dish.  The ladyfinger should be moist on the outside but not all the way through. As it sits, the ladyfinger will soften.

Spread the mascarpone mixture on top of the ladyfingers, and dust each layer with cocoa to amplify chocolate flavor.

Finish the top with a nice thick layer of cocoa.  Two camps: dust and chill or dust before serving.  Your choice.  Bling it up with chocolate curls.