Tiramisu

RECIPE

Aug 11, 2023

This is one of my favourite desserts as I am a big fan of coffee. Tiramisu means ‘pick me up’ due to its strong espresso coffee and rich cream. I used Angelucci's superb Mokital coffee, famed for being Dire Straits guitarist, singer and songwriter, Mark Knopfler's favorite coffee. It is even mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Wild West End" (1978). The song begins "Stepping out to Angelucci's for my coffee beans…’’. It’s a simple dessert to prepare and perfect for a dinner party as it can be made in advance. These pots combine the full-bodied coffee flavour of Mokital balanced by sweet, silky smooth mascarpone cream. Enjoy!

Makes 10 pots

INGREDIENTS

For the coffee:

500ml freshly made strong coffee, cooled

40g coffee liqueur (optional)

For the cream:

5 medium free-range eggs, separated

1 tsp lemon juice

60g caster sugar

80g double cream

500g mascarpone

100g coffee liqueur (optional)

30 Savoiardi sponge finger biscuits (250g)

For the decoration:

2 tsp cocoa powder

Edible flowers (optional)

METHOD

Make the coffee and leave to cool.
Add egg whites to a clean mixing bowl with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Whisk with an electric whisk or in a stand mixer until they form soft peaks.
In another bowl, whip the double cream until just at the the soft peak stage. Don’t over whip the cream!
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the mascarpone and whisk until smooth. If you are using coffee liqueur, add this to the mixture and combine.
Fold the whipped double cream into the mascarpone egg mixture.
Gently fold the whisked egg whites into the mascarpone cream mixture until smooth.
Get 10 jam jars ready.
Add the coffee liqueur (if used) and coffee to a bowl. Cut the 30 biscuits in half.
Dip each half biscuit for about a second in the coffee mixture. Place two at the bottom of the pot. Add four tablespoons of the cream mixture on top. Layer with two more biscuits dipped in coffee followed by three tablespoons of cream. Repeat one more time.
Chill in the fridge for at least eight hours or preferably overnight to set.
Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder using a fine sieve and decorate with an edible flower.

TIP

Avoid using instant coffee as the flavour will not stand up to this dessert.

You can use a large dish with high sides approximately 23 x 30cm (9 x 11in) rather than the pots. For this, you will need extra Savoiardi sponge fingers (approximately another 10). Dip the fingers in coffee and line the base of the dish. Pour a third of the mixture over the biscuits. Repeat another two times.

For details of Angelucci’s wonderful coffee, visit their website www.angeluccicoffee.co.uk

I decorated the pots with edible flowers from Artisan Leaves.

Thuy Cooks

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