Everynight Dessert: Day 2

It is pretty sad that I had to go to Starbuck's to get espresso for my tiramisu when I have a nice Gaggia espresso machine sitting on my counter top. The poor machine is so neglected it has decided to accumulate lots of nice scaly stuff all over. After far too many grimace-inducing cups of espresso from Starbuck's, I am anxiously awaiting the cleaning supplies I ordered to get back up and running.


After this tiramisu and the pavlova incident I absolutely cannot wait to have enough counter space to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer. The hand mixer is just too much elbow grease when there are egg whites and cream to beat into soft peaks. This recipe I saw over on Adam's blog and just thought I'd give it a shot since it seemed so easy. I unfortunately didn't let it chill nearly long enough so it was a bit of a runny mess, but a tasty runny mess nonetheless.

Tiramisu
from the Amateur Gourmet (and the Sopranos cookbook)

2 eggs, separated (don't freak out about raw eggs, just use fresh ones that are antibiotic-free and preferably omega-3 vegetarian fed hens)
1/2 C sugar
4 oz mascarpone
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
6 oz cooled espresso (preferably not from Starbuck's)
1/4 C coffee liqueur (ok I used Starbuck's liqueur!)
ladyfingers (I used the spongecake kind), enough to line the bottom of a 9x9 dish

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow. (Don't freak about the raw eggs! It really isn't any different than your sunny side up). Whisk in the mascarpone until smooth and set aside. Beat that cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the egg and sugar mixture. Beat those egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the mixture. Add the espresso and liqueur to a shallow bowl and dip the lady fingers just for a second and lay them in the bottom of a square dish. They are like giant sponges, hence the name, so be careful not to break them as you place them. Once the pan is lined, pour the cream mixture on top and put it in the fridge for a long time not an hour or two like I did. Six hours is a more realistic time so that it sets better, so plan ahead. Sprinkle the top with chocolate shavings or a light dusting of powdered cocoa and dig in. Piece of cake?