"Pick - Me - Up" Cake

Tiramisu

Cooking With Nick Stellino
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Ingredients:

14 ounces savolardi of lady gingers
2 cups strong coffee
1/3 cup coffee liqueur
8 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound + 1 1/2 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/4 pound finely grated semisweet chocolate

Serves 6 to 8

Printable Version

The day before seving, lay all the cookies out on a baking sheet and brush them on both sides with the coffee and coffee liqueur. They should be moist on the outside but still crunchy on the inside.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture is thick enough to form a long ribbon when you lift the beaters, aabout 5 minutes. Add the mascarpone cheese, beat for 3 minutes then set aside.

Clean the beaters of the electric mixer carefully and in a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until they form stiff peaks and have a glossy sheen, about 5 minutes.

Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, 1/2 at a time. Be careful: if you don't fold it in completely, you'll have a coarse texture. Be sure you fold the egg whites in rather than stirring them as this will cause the dessert to loose its lightness.

In a 9 x 17-inch glass baking dish, assemble the dessert. Layer half the cookies on the bottom, top with half the cream, and half the grated chocolate. Repeat with one more layer of each. Place the dish, uncovered, in the refrigerator, overnight.

The next day it is ready to be served.

Chef's Tip:

To grate the chocolate, use the largest holes of a cheese grater, what's commonly called the shredder side.