My Mom's Tiramisu - Amazing.

I have been so busy lately – with school, dreaded college applications and other stuff, which you will read about in my next post – and have only gotten the chance to post this now. Last weekend, I downloaded all the episodes of “Suits: Season 2” and my family and I had a Suits marathon (5 episodes). Suits is the best! If you haven’t ever watched it, I would immediately make a plan to do so anytime now. It is super-addicting, super-awesome and I promise you’ll never be able to stop watching it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Back to the food! Obviously, for the night to be good, we had to have some yummylicious eats, so we made Mexican-themed cuisine and tiramisu. This consisted of a huge platter of nachos with cheese, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. As the main course, we had a mixture of corn, chicken and bean quesadillas. All this fantastic food was paired with lime margaritas (virgin for my sister and I, of course!).

Everything was homemade, including the tortillas, but I’ll only be sharing the recipe for the tiramisu. This is a classic recipe that we often make when hosting a dinner party. It is my mom’s recipe and undoubtedly the best tiramisu I have ever eaten. It is cinch to put together and tastes better on the next day, so it is the perfect dessert to make ahead of time. We made ours in a larger dish and just cut out individual squares. But if you want to enhance the presentation, make individually portioned tiramisus in glass serving bowls. Do remember, however, that this method takes significantly longer.

Also, make sure you use good quality strong coffee and kahlua. That is, if you desire the strong taste of both these essential flavors. As with all cooking, high-quality ingredients produce scrumptious results.  

Classic Tiramisu
250g mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 egg, separated 
1/4 cup sugar
32 ladyfinger biscuits
1 cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled 
liquor/Kahlua to taste
cocoa powder for serving

Gather together all of your ingredients. 

Add the sugar to the egg yolk and beat till frothy. Add mascarpone and beat well. Fold in the whipped cream. Beat the egg white in a separate bowl and fold that in, too. 

Begin the layering process. First mix in the liquor into the cooled coffee. Dunk the lady fingers into the coffee mixture and let them soak for 1-2 seconds (just to absorb the flavor and moisture). Organize the ladyfingers on the bottom of the serving dish. Once fully covered, spoon the cream mixture on top until it forms a uniform layer. Dust with cocoa powder. Repeat this process, but don't dust with cocoa powder this time. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight; the longer it sets, the more the flavors will settle and fuse together, bringing out a wonderful taste and texture. Finish with a sifting of cocoa powder just before serving. 

Classics are best kept simple and elegant, so the only addition I would suggest is a few berries by the side. Always remember, there is no need to overdo an already perfect dish. It is best consumed within three days, but it probably won't last that long anyways, so no need to worry! Last, but definitely not least, enjoy :)