Tiramisu –

This is a desert that I’ve made more than once

• 9 egg yolks (extra large or jumbo)
• 1-3/4 C white sugar
• 2 C  mascarpone cheese
• 2-3/4 C  heavy whipping cream
• 1 17oz package of Ladyfingers (the dry crunchy style)
• 1- 1/2 C Brewed strong coffee
• 1/2 cup Kahlua (add more or less to taste)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 Teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

If you can whip cream in your home you probably have everything, both tools and skills, to make this. It technically calls for a double-boiler but i just use a metal bowl that will sit comfortably inside one of my medium size soup pots. I fill the pot with enough water so that when the bowl sits in the pot it covers the bottom of the bowl by about 2 inches.  I build this like a trifle in a glass bowl with straight sides. You will need at least one other wide flat bowl where you will dip the ladyfingers in the coffee & kahlua mixture.

1. Combine sugar and egg yolks in the top of a double boiler, over boiling water. It will start out being kind of dry and granular.
2. Turn down the heat to low, and stir mixture over heat for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and whip mixture until it is thick and lemon colored.
4. Add mascarpone to whipped yolks. Mix until combined.  Set aside to cool a bit.
   
5. In a separate bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks.
   
6. Gently fold into yolk and cheese mixture and set aside. The folding is key – you don’t want this to go flat.
   
7. Mix the coffee, Kahlua and vanilla in a wide flat bowl.
8. Roll a ladyfinger in the coffee and then place in the bottom of the bowl where you will build the tiramisu.  Repeat, laying the ladyfingers next to eachother until the bottom of the tiramisu bowl is mostly covered.
9. Smooth 1/3 of the cream filling over the ladyfingers. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the cream filling.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until bowl is full.
11. Put an extra thick layer of cocoa on the top.

I sometimes decorate with chocolate curls or if i have extra egg and cream mixture I’ll put it in a pastry tube an pipe it on top.  Sometimes I mix up a small amount of ganache and drizzle it on top.  Some day I’ll post my WAY easier method of making ganache.