Tempting Fate Tiramisu

Here at the Hungry Homebody Residence (there are two of us, myself and my Hubby, Mr. Hungry Homebody, or “Mr. HH”) we’ve been planning a Beat the Blahs winter dinner party. There has been a lot of debate about our menu, so much so that you’d think the Queen was coming for dinner… anyway, I think we’ve finally stumbled upon the right mix of easy, can be prepped ahead and fun with still that bit of WOW I talked about in my Berry Buckle post.

When planning your dinner party menu at home, there is really only so much you can do in the hour or so before the guests arrive and it probably shouldn’t be deciding on the menu!

If one or more items on the menu can be made in advance or not ruined hanging around on the stove you will have more time to deal with other, last minute pre-dinner party crises. Like when you thought your Mr. HH had cleaned the bathroom and you discover it was not so about 3 minutes before your M-I-L arrived!?!

In the case of our dinner party, we decided on beef fondue as the main course. Beef fondue is very cheaty because all you really have to do is cut up the meat and pat it dry and forage around for some vegetable oil and then your guests cook their own meal under the guise of “fun”.  Fondue dips can be made in advance and the additional fryable items can be cut and put on a fancy platter in the fridge the morning before the party, leaving you with enough time for a pre dinner party nap.

And in the interest of securing this nap Yours Truly scoured the recipe archives to bring you an oldie but a goodie dinner party dessert recipe  – Tiramisu.

Warning:  Tiramisu MUST BE MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE. And no, it will not be the same if you are lazy and make it the morning of your party.  (If you are in dire straits for a last minute dinner party dessert, see the post on Individual Berry Buckles) Life is too short not to heed this warning, especially since Tiramisu might not get made often (which is the case at my house… probably because the last time my pants didn’t fit for a week after eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner)… because it makes WAY too much for two people to eat by themselves. But in the case of dinner for 6, it’s just right!

Classic Tiramisu

4 tbsp Kaluha or dark rum (I used Kaluha in this post)

1 cup of a good quality strongly brewed coffee or espresso (I used a lovely Godiva hazelnut flavoured coffee)

20 lady finger cookies (about two packs)

2 cups Mascarpone Cheese

5 Egg Yolks

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup white sugar

Extra dark or bittersweet chocolate

A medium sized glass or ceramic plan, preferably one with a tight fitting lid.

About the Mascarpone Cheese: do not under any circumstances substitute this with cream cheese (or anything else) thinking you are being creative or clever, because this dessert will simply not be the same and you may regret it for the rest of your natural life.

About the Coffee:  One day lovely readers I will rant for an entire post about the importance of good quality coffee, but today I will spare you and just implore you NOT to use instant coffee for the recipe. Grind your own beans if possible… seriously you will forget how annoyed you are at me right now for asking  you do this extra work once you taste the end results.

Preparation:

Combine the coffee and Kaluha in a small pan or high sided dish (cake pan works well). Dip the number of lady fingers you’ll need for the first row of your pan into the coffee mixture, just enough so both sides become moist.  If you allow the cookies to become too saturated at this stage the tiramisu might fall apart on you later.

 

Combine the egg yolks, vanilla and white sugar in a separate bowl. Beat with a mixer for two minutes, and then add the mascarpone cheese and mix until just combined (do not over mix).

 

Spread a portion of this mixture over the lady fingers on the bottom row of the pan.

Alternate the layering of the lady fingers and cheese mixture, ending with the cheese mixture on top (I like to make this layer the thickest). Grate a little bit of dark or bittersweet chocolate over the top. My preference is for just a hint of the grated chocolate because this dessert should have a subtle mocha flavour rather than a wallop of chocolate flavour.

Cover the container and remember… in the fridge over night, about 24 hours before you plan on serving it. Bring it up to room temperature to serve.

Options for Presentation:

Garnish with berries, mint leaves, chocolate or raspberry drizzle or a combination… or nothing at all because Tiramisu is tempting enough that it doesn’t neccessarily need any culinary lipstick!

Or if you insist, try serving it in some handy dandy pre-made chocolate cups (especially helpful if you allowed the cookies to become too saturated in the first step and it’s soggier than expected). A guest probably won’t notice that the tiramisu is not holding together in a perfect cake formation if it’s in a swanky little cup.

If your guests faint from the deliciousness you’ve put in front of them, revive them with a strong cup of coffee so you can get on with your party!

Hungry Homebody

PS I’m looking to another flavour of tiramisu, maybe a fruity variety such as raspberry? If any of  you have a favourite tiramisu recipe, send it my way!