An Italian blog can’t be Italian without a tiramisu recipe

Well, I had to do it, didn’t I?  I can’t really say that I have a blog about Italian food without this recipe. What’s the best known Italian dessert outside Italy after gelato?  You’ve got it! Tiramisu!  Strangely, tiramisu is one of the most recently developed desserts that Italian make.  In general, Italian recipes date back into the mists of time, but tiramisu was said to have been invented during the last century, which makes it a baby in terms of Italian recipes! Of course, the origins of it are still controversial, although it is a new arrival on the scene, but it is commonly believed to have been first made in the Veneto region of Italy, where Venice lies in all its splendour.

How tiramisu got its name

So, I had to worm Venice in that last sentence somewhere since we just went there for a holiday. It does give me an excuse to write about (and therefore make….and therefore, eat) this delicious dessert! “Tirami su” is actually a phrase in Italian that, as you may know already, means “pick/pull me up”, and this dessert certainly does that with its coffee, eggs, cocoa, and in this version, chocolate.  It is said that it is an aphrodisiac, but I can’t imagine being up to anything much in that department after eating a dish of this!  It is very rich, so is better eaten in smaller portions (that means there’s much more for you later in the fridge when your guests go home!).

Notes before you make the tiramisu

You have to make sure your eggs are really fresh and that you eat it within two days of making it.  Store it in the fridge (or in your stomach) at all times.  To test for egg freshness follow my tips here before using them.  Don’t let this put you off making it.  If you have fresh eggs, and make a huge sacrifice to eat it quickly, then you’re good to go!

The only slightly tricky part of this dish is the wetting of the savoiardi biscuits: too little and they’re crunchy, too much and they turn quickly into a soggy mess. You can dip them quickly in a bath of coffee, or you can dribble coffee over them once they’re in the container you’re making the tiramisu in.  I prefer the dribbling method because if you make them a little too wet, at least they won’t fall to pieces in your hands and cover you with sticky biscuit pieces.

I made this tiramisu with decaffeinated coffee.  I once ate one that was delicious, but the woman who made it had put so much coffee in it that I didn’t manage to go to sleep until three in the morning!

The nice thing about this dessert is that it’s very easy to make it in one large dish, or in individual serving containers as the amount of ingredients aren’t exact.

And a last note on Savoiardi biscuits. They seem to exist with various names just about everywhere.  I’m not sure why exactly they’re called  “ladyfingers” in English as they’re relatively short and stubby.  Not how I imagine the fingers of a Lady at all!

Happy dessert making!!!

By Lisa Watson

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Tiramisu

Italian tiramisu is an easy, make ahead recipe that will impress your guests.  Find out all about it on Italian Kiwi

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Fridge time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 box Savoiardi biscuits (Ladyfingers) I used 36 biscuits for 6 people
• 2 - 3 small cups Italian Espresso coffee
• 4 Egg yolks
• 125 g Icing sugar 2/3 cup
• 2 Egg whites
• 400 g Marscapone cheese 1 3/4 cups, 15oz
• 50 g Dark chocolate 2oz
• Cocoa powder to cover the top

Instructions

Prepare the Ingredients:

• Using a standing mixture, or egg-beater, to save your arms, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until they become light in colour and "fluffy".
• Add the marscapone and beat in.
• In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, then add them to the marscapone mixture.  Stir in gently with a wooden spoon until they are incoporated.
• Grate the chocolate (don't touch it with your fingers otherwise it will melt immediately!).
• Make the coffee and let it cool a little.

To Assemble:

• Place a layer of savoiardi biscuits in the bottom of the container you are using.
• Drizzle coffee on them carefully until they are damp, but not swimming.
• Add a layer of the marscapone mixture, then sprinkle the grated chocolate over the top using a teaspoon.
• Repeat the process one more time, but finish with the marscapone mixture.
• Dust the top with cocoa using a small sieve to evenly distribute it.
• Place the finished tiramisu in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours before eating.

Chocolate cake, no people, and incredible tourist spots

The recipe I’m about to unveil is called Torta Caprese.  I had the luck to be able to go to Puglia a few weeks ago, thanks to my parents-in-law, who gave my husband a fantastic birthday present of looking after the kids while he went to Puglia, in the heel of Italy, for a few days.  I was willing to sacrifice myself to the cause so that he wouldn’t be lonely, so I went too. 🙂 As per usual when we go to Italy, we stayed in an agriturismo. This one was near a small town called Maglie.  The town was very well-placed to go and visit all the wonders of Puglia.  Now, if you’ve never been there, imagine this: limpid sea with schools of fish flashing around in it, incredible architecture that’s a mixture of North African, Italian and Turkish, seriously good food, and in April: NO PEOPLE!  In fact, there were so few people on the coast, that it was hard to find anything open in some of the smaller towns.

A recipe straight from the “horse’s mouth”

The agriturismo we stayed in is called Casina Montana. It’s set in a quiet rural setting and run by a lovely couple called Lina and Leo, who make astounding breakfasts (My biggest advice to you: Don’t miss the breakfasts!!!).  They kindly gave me this recipe for Torta Caprese, which is a typical chocolate cake made in Southern Italy. The cake has a fantastic brownie-like consistency, the only downside of it being that it’s very difficult to stop at eating only one slice of it! I wanted to show you this particular recipe because it has a special ingredient in it that is used (and drunk!) extensively in Southern Italy.

The secret ingredient in torta caprese

The secret ingredient is a liquor called Strega, which translates as “Witch” in English.  I don’t know if it’s because you turn into a (w)itch if you drink too much of it, or that it is considered to have magical properties.  When we got home, my mother-in-law kindly tracked down a bottle of it for me (as, thanks to the low-cost airline we were traveling on, we couldn’t bring back more than a thimble-size bag  without paying an exorbitant amount of cash).  We were all surprised to discover that it’s a beautiful yellow colour.  That’s thanks to the saffron that’s added to it.

I cracked open the bottle of a taste (out of professional curiosity of course) as soon as it was put into my hands.  Hmmmmm….it tastes like sweet, herbal medicine to me.  I will probably be boiled alive for saying that as this drink seems to have many addicts who say they put it on and in everything from cakes to ice-cream. I duely put it in the torta caprese, and in fact, it did taste pretty good like that!

I know that Strega will probably be near impossible to find where you live, so I suggest you use a liquor such as cognac to make this chocolate cake.  Be very gentle when trying to take it out of the cake-tin as it breaks VERY easily (I can tell you this from first-hand experience!!

By Lisa Watson

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Torta Caprese ( Chocolate Brownie Cake)

how to make Chocolate Brownie Cake (Torta Caprese) from Puglia, Italy

Course cake, Dessert, sweet

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cake

Ingredients

• 115 g Ground almonds 3/4 cup
• 100 g Dark chocolate 3.5oz
• 35 g Unsweetened cocoa powder 1/3 cup
• 175 g White sugar 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp
• 180 g Butter 3/4 cup
• 3 Eggs
• 150 ml Strega (or other liquor) 3/4 cup

Instructions

• Grease a 25cm cake tin (preferably with detachable sides) and line it with baking paper. Heat the oven to 160°C.
• Melt the chocolate and butter gently in the microwave, or on the stove-top.
• In a standing-mixer, or with an eggbeater, beat the eggs and sugar until they become thick and creamy.
• Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and stir.
• Gently mix in the almond meal and cocoa.
• Finally add the "Strega", or liquor of your choice and mix in.
• Pour into the cake tin and bake for 30 -35 minutes.
• Wait until the cake has cooled completely before you VERY CAREFULLY take it out of the cake-tin.