About 20 years ago, a lovely Italian girl who happened to work along-side me in a Swiss bank, shared her grand-mother's divine Tiramisu recipe with me. My world - and consequently many of my friends and family's worlds - has never been the same since.

Over time however, I've made the recipe my own, changing it slightly to adjust for these modern (and less sugar-enamored) times. So without further ado ...


"Simone's Very Special Tiramisu"

I usually triple this recipe. And prepare it one day ahead, for it only develops its true flavor after being allowed to rest in the fridge for 24 hours.

Since the recipe is of European origin, all measurements are in grams - so get your kitchen scale out before you attempt to make this dessert. Equally important is that your eggs be as fresh as possible - check your neighborhood feed or grocery store for local eggs, fresh from the chicken coop.

Ingredients:

- 3 egg yolks
- 30 grams of white sugar
- 230 grams of Mascarpone cheese (equaling one standard container you find at the Grocery Store)
- 2 egg whites
- 150 grams of Lady Fingers (yes, you can also make your own biscuits, but I've had the best results with simple Lady Fingers you buy at your local grocery store - Safeway and Whole Foods are a few that carry them)
- 1/2 cup of good, strong, freshly-brewed coffee
- 2 large TBLSP of Kahlua, Rum or whatever liquor you're fond of, to taste
- Chocolate powder

1. Make a cup of strong coffee. Let it cool off in the fridge.
2. Cover the bottom of a glass (no metal!) dish tightly with your Lady Fingers.
3. Mix the egg yolks and sugar and beat them until they're of a very light color.
4. Add the Mascarpone, and mix in well, until the mixture is creamy.
5. Beat your egg whites till very stiff, then carefully fold them into the mixture with a rubber spatula. Let the mixture rest for a minute.
6. Now mix the liquor into the coffee and drizzle half of the coffee mixture over the lady fingers, making sure you don't make the biscuits too soggy. The entire success of this recipe really lies in the perfect balance of coffee and biscuit. I've found one tablespoon of coffee per Lady Finger to work well.
7. Spoon half of the Mascarpone mixture over the coffee-soaked Lady Fingers.
8. Repeat steps 4 - 7 for a second layer of biscuit, coffee and cream.
9. Put the finished dessert in the fridge - be patient for 24 hours (or at least 2 or 3).
10. Shortly before serving, dust the top of the dessert with the chocolate powder.
11. Serve and enjoy!

While it's unlikely that you'll have anything left over to refrigerate, you can do so for about 2-3 days. I've also successfully frozen this dessert for several weeks - just give it about 3-4 hours to thaw before serving.

And most importantly - if it turns out for you, leave your feedback in the comments!

Good luck.