Tiramisu, the Italian Way

Mhm, just plain tiramisu with chocolate shavings and cocoa powder. Pretty darn tasty. Made my own sponge ladyfingers a bit too thin/small so it might be lacking a bit of texture. I had a difficult time finding mascarpone cheese-- I tried Albertsons and Smart & Final but to no avail. I'm just glad I found some at Ralphs last night. For your dictionary:
mascarpone cheese-- soft mild Italian cream cheese
^ I licked some off the wrapper and it tasted like creamy barf. The texture is similar to Philadelphia but without the tart taste. Maybe next time I can substitute mascarpone with heavy whipping cream-- to cut down the cost. Not exactly the authentic Italian way though.

<- Feast your eyes! can you tell that the chocolate shavings were made using cheap chocolate? Yep, I used Hershey's milk choco. Here's the recipe: It's no-bake so it can't possibly go wrong-- not inedibly wrong at least :)

Classic Italian Tiramisu (uses raw eggs)

• 4 eggs, separated
• 4 oz sugar, divided
• 12 oz mascarpone cheese
  
• 1 c strong coffee/expresso
• 1/4 c rum
• Ladyfingers or Savoiardi biscuits

How:

1. Beat yolks until frothy, slowly add half of the sugar. Keep beating until pale yellow in color.
   
2. Beat in mascarpone until mixture is creamy and thick. Set aside.
   
3. Beat egg whites until frothy, add remaining sugar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. May take a few minutes.
   
   
4. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cream mixture. Then the rest of the egg whites. Don't stir too much or you'll knock all the air out of the whites.
   to fold- to gently combine one ingredient with another ingredient (as in folding dry ingredients into moist ingredients) by using two motions, cutting vertically through the mixture with a spoon or spatula and gently turning the ingredients over on top of each other, rotating the bowl 1/4 turn with each stroke. The term often is used in instructions relating to whipped cream and beaten egg whites.
5. Time to start layering! Coffee in a bowl with rum. Dip ladyfingers or Savoiardi biscuits in coffee until soft but not mushy. Lay them out on the bottom of pan (use glass, aluminum, whatever) After you have set out a layer of ladyfingers at the bottom, spread half of the cream mixture evenly on top. Dip and arrange another layer of ladyfingers. Finish with the rest of the cream. Sift on cocoa powder and finish with chocolate shavings.
   To make chocolate shavings: make sure chocolate bar is cool/cold. Run a vegetable peeler along the side of the bar.
   
6. Refrigerate for > 3 hours and enjoy!

You can also serve individual portions in a glass!


How-to on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib0kz39cDeM