Amaretto Tiramisu

As you all know, my favorite dessert is undoubtedly tiramisu. While I enjoy it at every single Italian restaurant I go to, I've never attempted to make it at home (or someone else's home - right, Andrew?). Well, this ended today and I'm happy to say that it ended very well. With a hint of almond flavor and a Mascarpone cream made light and airy by the addition of gently folded egg whites, this dessert is definitely a winner.


Amaretto tiramisu
Ingredients
- 2 packages (20-24) ladyfingers
- 8oz Mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 cup strong coffee or espresso
- 4T amaretto liqueur
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
- Dark chocolate shavings, for garnish

Instructions
- In a large bowl (or mixer), combine egg yolks and sugar. Beat with a whisk until pale yellow and smooth. Add amaretto and 1 tablespoon of chilled coffee and continue to beat until ribbon stage forms (whisk forms ribbons when lifted).
- In another bowl (or your mixer) whisk egg whites with 1 teaspoon of sugar until they form stiff peaks. Folk egg whites into Mascarpone mixture gently.
- Add remaining amaretto to coffee/espresso. Dip lady fingers into the coffee mixture and place a layer (1 package worth) on the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Spread half the Mascarpone cream over the ladyfingers, then repeat the process until all of the ladyfingers and Mascarpone mixture are gone.
- Chill for at least 2 hours to overnight. Dust with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings. Mangia!

Serves 9





The only negatives about this was that it didn't set as well as I would have liked. This could be due to making it without the aid of a mixer, or because I soaked the ladyfingers too much, but it didn't form a perfect square. Think of it as a piece of apple pie that tastes completely wonderful but has pieces of apples falling every which way. So, from an aesthetic standpoint it wasn't the best, but taste-wise, it was fantastic.




The best thing about it? The Mascarpone cream. I would eat a pound of it right off a spoon.



Regardless of any setbacks, for my first time making my favorite dessert, I'm quite proud of myself.