Tiramisù

There are two stories surrounding our favorite dessert. One takes place in the 1950s in the small town of Tolmezzo in Friuli and in the restaurant of the Hotel Albergo Roma. Chef Norma Pielli liked to serve passing mountain hikers a dessert that would give them energy for their onward journey. In the local dialect, this delicacy was probably called tireme su: Pull me up! The province of Treviso also claimed to be the inventor of the legendary dessert from the 1960s onwards. A rivalry that was only settled a few years ago: in 2017, the famous dish was added to the PAT list (Prodotti Agroalimentari Tradizionali) of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Either way - tiramisù always wins and is the crowning glory of any Italian-inspired menu. We provide you with the original recipe. Only the sugar content has been reduced by half, because the famous dessert no longer needs to be quite as sweet as it was served in Italy 70 years ago for today's tastes. Unless, perhaps, maybe ... If we were to serve it as a hiking snack?

4 eggs
150 g sugar
500 g mascarpone
500 g firm ladyfingers (equivalent to 26-30 pieces)
300 ml mocha or espresso, freshly brewed and cooled
50 g cocoa powder

For your planning: The recipe specifies cooling and resting times of 45 minutes and at least six hours. It is therefore worth starting the preparations in the morning if you want to serve your tiramisù for dessert in the evening.

Brew the mocha or espresso and leave to cool. In the next step, separate the three eggs. Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff. Mix the egg yolks with the remaining whole egg, gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture becomes light in colour. Then add the mascarpone to the egg yolk and sugar mixture in batches and carefully work it in from the bottom up. The aim is to achieve a smooth and creamy mixture. Next, gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Now prepare the first layer of ladyfingers and cream. To do this, first pour the cooled mocha or espresso into a wide bowl or soup plate. Lightly soak the ladyfingers individually in the liquid and place them next to each other in a baking dish about 25 centimetres long. As soon as the base of the dish is covered, pour over half of the mascarpone-egg-sugar mixture and smooth down. Leave to rest in the fridge for 45 minutes. Proceed in the same way for the second layer: Lightly dip the remaining ladyfingers into the coffee one by one and place them side by side on top of the chilled cream layer. Finally, pour the remaining cream into the tin and smooth it out. Then chill for at least six hours. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving. Source: The Gourmet Bible Italy. Absolutely everything about Italian cuisine. By François-Régis Gaudry and friends. 400 pages with 265 recipes, 1,000 illustrations and even more product portraits. Hardcover edition, 25.1 × 33.1 cm. Published at Christian Verlag 2021.