March 21, 2007

My first attempt at Tiramisu...

It's probably my favourite dessert. Not many are aware of my love for tiramisu.....it's one of those naughty secrets I choose to not to talk about.
Talking about desserts is bad
....makes me crave,
...bake..
and EAT!
*laughs*

I've probably known 'how' and 'what' goes into making this simply divine Italian concoction for years. It is the worrying number of egg-yolks and sugar+cheese proportions which always seem to steer me away from making a tub of my own. Making it would mean stuffing my face with it; which would also mean stuffing extra bits down that waistline! *evil*

On Monday, Lady luck was on my side~;
Hui Xieng gave me an excuse to make Tiramisu ...
She invited me to her graduation...
.... .....
..
Of course that makes sense!
GRADUATION = CELBRATION = HAPPY= CAKE = TIRAMISU!!*rolls eyes*~ ..... heee *greedy grin*...


I know a cake seems a little 'off' as a congratulatory gift; but I made up for it with a cute lil' graduation 'dough-boy' hanging off the side.
It had its naughty finger dipped in for a lick! ..... much more inventive than a typical graduation teddy bear; don't you think? :P

I brought her special little tub with me to Uni for photographs. The weather wasn't exactly perfect for Tiramisu to be hanging around outdoors; but the issue was soon resolved with a fork I conveniently had in my bag, and many eager friends digging in. It didn't exactly have a chance to melt~*laughs* Poor Hui Xieng didn't get to eat much of it though. I'll make her more next time. ;)

400gms mascarpone cheese
2 egg whites

4 egg yolks
2 cups sifted icing sugar
1 250gm pack of Italian sponge fingers (Available at supermarkets/deli's)

125ml extra strong espresso coffee
1/3 cup coffee liquor (I used Kahlua)

3/4 cup thickened cream
200 gm bar of good quality chocolate (grated)
cocoa powder for dusting


Mix liquor and coffee in a big shallow bowl. Set aside
Beat egg whites till stiff peaks form. Will take about 4-5 minutes on high
In a separate bowl; beat egg yolks, sugar on high till pale and smooth. Reduce speed on the mixer and add in mascarpone, followed by the whipped cream.
Assemble: Dunk sponge fingers into coffee mixture and neatly arrange on the bottom of a large dish/container (I used my pie dish. hehe ...improvise).Top with sprinkles of grated chocolate and spoon on the cheese mixture.
Repeat layers; finishing off with a layer of mascarpone. Dust with cocoa powder and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Note: Never attempt to eat tiramisu straight out of the dish with a spoon. Remind yourself to scoop separate servings into a separate bowl. You'll end up devouring the entire thing. I learnt this lesson the hard way. *sniff* It's off to the gym for me. :(

13 comments:

thanh7580 said...

A fellow Tiramisu lover. It's probably my favourite cake type dessert. I wrote a post about tiramisu where there is a link to a webpage that discusses what tiramisu's should contain. There are quite a number of variations when you eat tiramisu's at different places. The tiramisu from Brunetti's in Lygon Street in Melbourne is very good.

Anonymous said...

Hi Suyin, I have been reading your blog for 2 weeks now & I am really inspired by yr creativity! I just bgt myself some fondant,gum paste, flower tool set and colourings today to experiment some of yr creations.I have not done it before so I hope it will turn out well..Hope to meet up with you @ Velvet when u r in S'pore!!Will buy you a drink ;P Shirley..

nomnomfish said...

hey babes,

thanks for coming despite the horribly HUMID weather... so uncommon in sydney. sigh. loved the tiramisu although i only got 2 bites. GRR.

graduations are fun only when friends are arround. lol..

muaxies!

Anonymous said...

It's Fiona here~ ^^
The Tiramisu was yummy!! *love*
Plz teach me someday how to make it!! XD
See you in class next week! ^_~

Anonymous said...

Hi!

I was wondering about the little pearls that you use to decorate your cupcakes! Are they edible? Do you buy them or make them yourself?

Anonymous said...

you know wat i think of u? You're a genius, simply a genius at baking.

Lex said...

that looks yummy! but wee bit expensive to make no? thanks for the recipe, always wanted a proper recipe that can work!

Kristen Kai said...

I lost the link to your blog a while back...but now I found you! I am SOOOO happy. I now have a cooking blog of my own. Come check it out when you get a chance. Love, Kristen from Oklahoma USA

Anonymous said...

hello, my name is Yan and i'm a msian student studying in sydney. I have been reading your blog for quite some time now as it's very interesting!! Anyway, I wanted to ask if you know what 'mee pok' is? It's often used to cook 'bak chor mee' or dry pork noodles. Do you know if it's available in asian grocery stores here in sydney? I've seen the fried 'yee mee' types that are used for claypot noodles, but what does 'mee pok' look like? Thnx!

Anonymous said...

Hi SuYin, really envy how you can juggle so well between studies and having the time to try out different recipes. anyway thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Just a question here. do you know anywhere around sydney(city) or kensington area i can find a place to get a full range of baking ingredients? thanks in advance.

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

thanh: omg..whats very helpful. Thanks for the link :). Ill be in Melb soon. Will probably stop by to have some on Lygon st ;)

Shirley: wow...thanks :) Will definitely announce my return to Malaysia on my blog when I do. Pounce on me then ;) I'll give u my cell number

xieng: xOXO :)

fiona: hey hey~ Haha...my only friend in m wed class...how sweet of you to pop by to say hey. :P

anonymous: hmm...pearls...the pearls are actually called dragee's. Theyre made from sugar. It is quite immpossible to make them at home on your own though.

anonymous2: aww....*blush* dont flatter me..LOL

lex: mascarpone can be quite steep. Especially in Malaysia. We should have made more of an effort to meet up in Kl :(

kristen: OMG! ITs U!!! Wow...i remember you from April alst year. You were here when I had 30 readers a day. *laughs*....i miss you so...:P I remember your potatoe soup recipe. I still make it ;)

yan:I'm a little lost with all that vocaulary LOL...but hmm...honestly, I have no clue. I know what youre talking about. BUt ive not seen them being sold in my local asian grocer. I guess you should try substituting the noodles for something else. It could turn out tasting alright. Or try findin out what meepok noodles are made from; and get some help from the grocer. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to local chinese ingredients. My apologies. *laughs*

yen: hey hey; answer is NOpe~ The closest one is bondi junction (very expensive stuff) or....@ camperdown; on church st; its called iced affair. Google it dear :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Suyin, may i know where did you buy those sponge fingers. i try searching at coles, wollys and some sundry stores but fail to find it. im currently staying in sydney. wouldn't mind traveling to other suburb to get it. thanks in advance

thanh7580 said...

I just wanted to report back that I found a tiramisu recipe and tried it out and it was really good. It was so simple to make that even I found it easy. Putting the marsala really enhances the flavour. I even tried it a second time with double the marsala and that tasted even better in my opinion as I really like the stronger flavours.