Tuesday, April 20, 2010

First Time Tiramisu


The first tiramisu I ever made. Looks yummy, right?

I brought it over for Easter dinner at my in-laws' house a couple weeks ago (and of course I forgot my camera that day so I had to get my brother-in-law Kevin to email me his photos - thanks Kev!)

Also a big thank you to our friend Bob for recommending his favorite tiramisu recipe (from Cooks Illustrated). I found the same recipe online,
Tiramisu Without Raw Eggs, at America's Test Kitchen (requires free registration). There's also a version with the traditional raw eggs, but I chose the cooked egg version since I was feeding it to a crowd.

Making the tiramisu was very straightforward but required me to finally take my brand new KitchenAid mixer out of the box after 9 long years (I know, the SHAME). I also experienced some sticker shock when shopping for ingredients - 1 1/2 pounds of mascarpone cheese is expensive! But this recipe feeds a huge crowd, making 10-12 generous servings. I also followed Bob's advice and substituted Kahlua for the rum (but you might want to stick with the rum if you prefer more of an alcoholic 'kick'). And I topped it off with both cocoa powder and chocolate shavings (you can never have too much chocolate).

I probably could have divided the mascarpone filling a little more evenly to get perfect-looking layers, but the tiramisu sliced up beautifully, with very clean-looking edges, just like what you would get at an Italian restaurant. The end result garnered a lot of 'oohs' and 'ahhs'. And the taste? A-MA-ZING! Not too shabby for my first time.


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13 comments:

Christo Gonzales said...

well you get some virtual oohs and ahhs from me - this looks super tasty.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Wow, you did fabulous on your first tiramisu attempt. I like it boozy - doesn't matter if it's rum or Kahlua or whiskey. splash in extra for me.

Carolyn Jung said...

Congrats on making your first tiramisu with flying colors. I just want to dig a big ol' spoon into that creamy concoction.

Unknown said...

It looks luscious! Anyone who is lucky enough to have your bring a goodie like this to their gathering is lucky indeed!
I've been looking at that Cooks Illustrated site, and I got to say, I'm tempted.
*kisses* HH

Phyllis said...

doggybloggy: Thanks! I was thrilled at how it came out.

Ciao Chow Linda: Kris likes it boozy too ;)

Carolyn: Thanks! I'm craving some tiramisu right now, will have to figure out how to make a smaller everyday version.

Heavenly Housewife: I love how Cooks Illustrated deconstructs classic recipes to fix common cooking mistakes. I was drawn to their tiramisu recipe because it showed me how to properly roll my ladyfingers so they didn't become to soggy. Some of the recipes can be time consuming because they use some crazy techniques, but they are usually foolproof.

Anonymous said...

Wow, your tiramisu looks perfect, super delicious!

Daily Spud said...

Not too shabby at all! Don't suppose there's any left for me, is there? :)

Teanna said...

Um your layers look AMAZING!! What do you mean more perfect layers?! They look perfect to me! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tiramisu and actually love the CI recipe! Gorgeous photo as well!

Phyllis said...

5 Star Foodie: Thanks :) Everytime I see the photo again I want more.

Daily Spud: no such luck! But I could always make another one once I've saved up enough $ to buy another 1 1/2 lbs of mascarpone ;)

Teanna: Thanks! My brother-in-law Kevin took the photo so the credit goes to him. And I'm probably obsessing over perfect layers because of my OCD (lol)

Justin said...

am I misreading that part about having a kitchenaid mixer in the box for 9 years???!!!

Phyllis said...

Justin: Nope, that poor mixer sat ignored in my office for almost a decade!

foodhoe said...

hehe, I share that shame... but wow does that look worth it! Beautiful, lucky you got a good shot like that.

Phyllis said...

foodhoe: So you have a stand mixer being held hostage in a box somewhere? Counterspace is just so valuable.