Because Italian cuisine is so popular in the States, you don’t have to travel to “bella Italia” to enjoy its many manifestations. One of the most popular dishes that we have comes at the end of the meal and is a welcome treat. It’s called “tiramisu” and Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows all about it.

Tiramisu is a popular no-bake Italian dessert featuring layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers (savoiardi) and a rich, creamy filling made from mascarpone cheese, eggs, and sugar. It is typically topped with cocoa powder and contains alcohol, such as Marsala wine or rum. The name means "pick me up" in Italian

As classic as the dish seems, it only dates back to the 1960’s, specifically to the Veneto region. A restaurant in Treviso called “Le Beccheire” claims that their chef Roberto Linguanotto invented a modern version of a snack popularized in local brothels.

Two ways of presenting the dessert include in a deep glass which will show off the layers to advantage, or as a cake of some sort. Inevitably the top layers is dusted with cocoa powder. Although not traditional, you can work bits of fruit into the recipe, especially strawberries and berries.

Here is Jerry’s take on tiramisu.

Classic Tiramisu

16 oz Mascarpone cheese, cold from the fridge

4 egg yolks

⅔ cup granulated or caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cup heavy cream, chilled

Assembly ingredients:

30-36 ladyfingers

1 ½ cup strong black coffee, room temperature

2 tbsp cocoa powder to dust

Directions:

1. Whisk the mascarpone cheese on medium speed for 30-60 seconds until creamy. Scrape the bowl and set aside

2. In a separate heat-proof bowl, add the egg yolks and ⅔ cup sugar. Boil 1-2" of water in a saucepan and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Place the bowl with egg yolks and sugar on top of the saucepan such that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. This is a double boiler. Whisk on medium-high speed for exactly 2 minutes, then remove from heat. The mixture will be light and fluffy. Do not overmix or overheat as it can become grainy

3. Pour the egg yolk and sugar mixture onto the mascarpone cheese. Add salt and vanilla, then whisk on medium speed just until combined, scraping the bowl halfway (once again, do not overmix as the mixture can become grainy)

4. In a separate bowl, whip the cold heavy cream until it reaches medium stiff peaks (just starts to hold shape). Do not overmix

5. Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture in 2-3 additions, folding gently with a rubber spatula and taking care not to knock out the air. You will have a creamy, light mixture

Assembly:

Pour the coffee into a wide bowl, and make sure it is not hot. Dip each ladyfinger quickly into the coffee (I do a quick dip on each side) and add a layer of soaked ladyfingers in the bottom of a 8x9.5" rectangular dish

Spread on half of the mascarpone cream evenly

Repeat with another layer of soaked ladyfingers

Top with the remaining mascarpone cream

Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight

When ready to serve, sift the cocoa powder evenly on top of the tiramisu. Cut into slices and serve!