Photography: Dave Brown
Few desserts feel as celebratory—or as comforting—as a classic tiramisu. Homemade biscuits are dipped in a generous pour of sweetened espresso, then layered with a cloud-light ricotta cream. A splash of amaretto or coffee liqueur adds extra warmth, though the dessert is every bit as delicious without it. The key is to work gently, keeping plenty of air in both the biscuits and cream, and to allow time for the flavours to mingle in the fridge. Finished with a generous dusting of cocoa, it’s an elegant make-ahead dessert designed for sharing with family and friends.
Ingredients
Method
First, make the biscuits. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Put the egg whites into one bowl and the egg yolks into another bowl. To the egg whites, add the icing sugar and salt. Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. To the egg yolks, add the caster sugar and whisk until frothy and pale. Using a rubber spatula and being patient and gentle, fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture in three or four stages, making sure to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, again adding this in three or four stages and folding it into the mixture. Try to not overmix at any point, or you’ll knock the air out.
Gently transfer the batter to a piping (pastry) bag fitted with a round nozzle (tip) and pipe 12–14 finger-thick biscuits, about 8–10cm long, onto the prepared baking sheets, well spaced apart. Dust them generously all over with icing sugar and bake them right away for 20–25 minutes until puffed up and golden all over. Remove the biscuits from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheets for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the coffee mixture and ricotta cream. Pour the coffee (and liqueur, if using) into a shallow dish, large enough to dip the biscuits into later, and, while it’s still hot, stir in a third of the sugar until it dissolves.
Put the egg yolks into a heatproof bowl, setting aside the whites for later. Add half the remaining sugar and the vanilla seeds or extract. Place the bowl over a small saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the
water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl. With a rubber spatula or whisk, mix the egg mixture until everything is combined and the mixture is creamy, slightly thicker and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the bowl from the pan and let it cool down for a few minutes. Once cooled, stir in the cream, add the ricotta and mix until creamy and smooth.
In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar and the salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the whisked egg whites into the ricotta mixture, being careful to retain as much air as possible.
Now, dip two cooled biscuits at a time into the coffee mixture, turning and leaving them for a few seconds until they’re nicely soaked but not soggy. Layer these into the bottom of a 30 x 20cm serving dish or individual bowls or glasses. Carry on until you’ve covered the base of the dish. Now spread over half of the ricotta cream, then repeat the same for the second layer, using up all of the biscuits and coffee mixture and finishing with all the ricotta cream as the last layer. Dust with cocoa powder, then cover and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The tiramisu will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
TIP If you don’t want to make your own sponge fingers, simply use 200–220g shop-bought fingers.
This is an edited extract from ‘Eat Like a Sardinian’ by Francesco Mattana, with photography by Dave Brown, published by Murdoch Books, $45.
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