Pick Me Up: Tiramisu
I recently used my Thermomix to prepare several of the dishes for an eight-course Italian Wine Tasting dinner that ThermoHubby John and I organised for Tongham Village Hall. Since I regularly cater these dinners for up to 60 people, I can use all the help I can get. This time my usual kitchen pals were busy so I turned to my own personal brigade of Thermomix sous chefs for assistance.
My Thermomix was especially helpful in making enough Tiramisú for 50 people. Tiramisú? Dictionary.com gives the origin of this Italian word as equivalent to tira (pick) + mi (me) + sù (up). One of the many Tiramisú legends has it that this dish was invented by Italian laundry ladies as an energy replenishing “pick-me-up” in the days when laundry was laboriously washed on rocks and wrung by hand.
According to The History of Tiramisú Cake: Where and How this Famous Dessert was Invented, “The brilliant idea in Tiramisú is not in the technique of layering, but in the components. It was a great idea to combine coffee, zabaglione cream, and chocolate together. This is the true innovation of Tiramisú.” The true innovation of Thermomix is stirring and cooking the zabaglione while you get the rest of the dessert ready!
While many recipes use sponge fingers dipped in strong coffee, I prefer to use cake dipped in coffee mixed with more of the alcohol used in the zabaglione (rum, amaretto or in my case, Marsala). I used a standard Tesco Madeira cake and it was delicious.
Tiramisú
An Italian friend told Janie Turner that this tiramisu recipe from Fast and Easy Cooking is genuinely Italian and one of the best she has tasted. I have to agree! Serves 6.
Ingredients
4 egg yolks
150 g sugar
70 g rum, amaretto or marsala
500 g mascarpone
180 g sponge finger biscuits or a loaf of Madeira cake
100 g very strong coffee e.g. espresso
cocoa powder and chocolate shavings to serve
Method
- Put the egg yolks, sugar and rum or amaretto into the TM bowl and heat 5 minutes/80°C/Speed 4.
- Add the mascarpone and mix 20 seconds/Speed 4. Empty the mixture into a large bowl and cool for at least an hour.
- If using sponge fingers, arrange half the biscuits in a small square dish and sprinkle with the coffee, do not over soak. Spoon half of the chilled mixture over the biscuits. Layer the remaining biscuits on top and spoon over them the rest of the mixture. If using a loaf cake, cut it into several thin slices, dip into the coffee/alcohol mixture and make three or more layers with a corresponding proportion of the zabaglione.
- Chill at least 3 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with the cocoa and chocolate before serving.
Thermomix is a tool and you are the genius that uses it. Use your imagination!
Buon appetito !
NEW! Print this recipe
Always glad to help a fellow Thermomixer! Bon appétit !
Thank you so much for your super prompt reply and for the helpful suggestions. It never occurred to me to check and cook for longer though I do that with other recipes! Definitely become a family go-to recipe.
Hello, Siew-Yee, and thanks for your comment. Since I made enough Tiramisu for 50 people back in 2011 I know I must have doubled the recipe. I probably added at least one minute cooking time to the egg yolk, sugar and alcohol mixture and then checked it for doneness. You can do this with any recipe that you double, just as you would if you were cooking on the stovetop. Keep adding a minute until your custard is set the way you like it.
This would work with the original recipe proportions, too, Siew-Yee, so if your custard is too runny as you say, you can always cook it a bit more instead of changing the ingredient proportions. Less sugar and less alcohol are no problem, either, especially if your family likes it that way and if your proportions work for you 😉
Thanks for reading Why is There Air and happy Thermomix cooking!
I love this recipe especially since I do not have to worry too much about raw eggs. I use less sugar and alcohol as I find that the custard becomes too runny. I also use more coffee as my family likes the sponge slightly more moist. I wonder if anyone has tried doubling the recipe and the modifications needed, e.g. would the egg yolks, sugar and alcohol mixture need to be cooked for a longer time? Thank you.
You’ll probably have a rather runny, rather boozy zabaglione and simply need to use more spong fingers to soak it up! I bet it’s still delicious! Thanks for commenting Lucy. Happy Thermomix cooking!
I didn’t have enough mascarpone, but only realised half way through, so still made it. I was 200g short! We will just have to see what happens!
Ah, yes, Tiramisu is a brilliant way to use Marsala, isn’t it? And the recipe in F&E is really just that – Fast and Easy! And oh, so delicious. Cheers and thanks for your comment!
I haven’t tried the tiramisu from FaEC but now I have seen the superb result, I have to make it! That will also be a good way to use the Marsala leftover from the last time I made Zabaglione…
Thanks, Helene! Tiramisu has to be one of the nicest desserts when made properly and this recipe is tops. The excellent instructions come straight out of “Fast and Easy Cooking” by UK Thermomix Director Janie Turner. It’s the 300-recipe cookbook that comes with every Thermomix TM31 purchased from UK Thermomix and it’s packed with recipes with clear instructions so new Thermomix owners can get cooking healthy, fast and easy meals straight away. The 4th edition is coming out soon, so contact UK Thermomix to purchase a copy for the latest, greatest recipes! http://www.ukthermomix.com
This is EXQUISITE. Makes me want to get busy and make some Tiramisu right now. No wait — I’d rather come over and have some of yours! Thanks for the thorough instructions and photos that clearly show how easy it is to make this with Thermomix. Oh, it’s so luscious!