Tiramisu

Weekends promise a sweet allowance, and why not rediscover the pull-me-up classic of the 80s, Tiramisu. When it comes to tiramisu making there are at least two schools: one that swears to a creamy custard-type kind of dessert, and one that is firmer, more like a cake. My version belongs to the last category, but you can soften it up by folding 1 dl whipped cream or 2 stiffly whisked egg whites in the cream. This will change the texture and add extras fat – for those who need it – or extra volume.

You can also regulate the taste and the texture by drowning the savoyardi or ladies fingers in more coffee and liqueur, but in my experience there is a messy line between soaked and disintegrated, so I would not recommend it to first timers, although tiramisu is very difficult to spoil once you have got the right ingredients.

Ingredients
Serves 4

4 egg yolks
4 tbsp sugar
500 g mascarpone
2 cups cold espresso coffee
4 cl Marsala wine
150 g savoyardi (ladies fingers)
Grated rind of 1 organic lemon
Unsweetened cacao powder

Preparation
With an electric mixer whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is white and you can no longer see the small grains of sugar. Have patience.
Add one spoon of mascarpone and stir it in with the mixer, before you fold the sugared eggs in the mascarpone.
Now add the grated lemon rind
Spread a little mascarpone cream over the bottom of a serving dish
Pour coffee and marsala in a deep plate and dip each savoyardi lengthwise in the liquid, before you make a layer of biscuits in the dish.
Cover the savoyardi biscuits with a layer of mascarpone cream according to the lasagna principle.
Make a new layers till all ingredients have been used, ending off with a layer of cream.
Cover the tiramisu and leave it in fridge for at least 5 hours.
Dust with cacao before serving.