Tiramisu

Most people would agree with me that there's nothing better than a 3 or 4 day weekend. It hardly ever happens, but thats what makes it so special. To me, three day weekends mean sleeping in and cooking (what else?). This time I decided that I wanted to cook something not just difficult and time consuming, but something that was a trophy in and of itself. This recipe for tiramisu by Wolfgang Puck was exactly what I was looking for. There is no store-bought sponge cake or pre-made mascarpone cream. Every part of this recipe is homemade, which makes it feel and taste that much more comforting.

Ladyfingers:
6 eggs, separated
½ cup sugar, separated into ¼ cups
1 cup sifted cake flour
melted butter, for brushing
flour, for dusting pan

Mascarpone Cream:
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
¼ cup Marsala Wine
¼ cup brandy
2 pounds mascarpone cheese

Espresso Syrup:
1 cup espresso, hot
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup grated bittersweet chocolate

Directions:
Ladyfingers:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 12 by 16 inch baking tray and sprinkle with flour.
In a mixing bowl, whip the egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar until ribbony and light in color. Reserve. In another mixing bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks- when you lift the beaters out of the whipped whites, they stand and droop. Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and whip until they develop medium peaks- the whites stand and droop a little, but are not sharp. Sift the flour again and, with a rubber spatula, fold half of the flour into the yolk mixture. Fold in ½ of the of white mixture then fold in the remaining ½ four mixture. Lastly, fold in the remaining ½ egg white mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and, with an offset spatula, carefully spread the batter to evenly fill the tray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the ladyfingers are golden brown and start to pull away from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Mascarpone Cream:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then add the Marsala and brandy. Place over a double boiler and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees, stirring often. Continue to cook mixture for about 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes a thick paste, called a sabayon. Remove from the double boiler and cool mixture over an ice bath, until room temperature. Whip the mascarpone cheese to soft peaks. Fold in the cooled sabayon until well incorporated. Keep cooled.
Espresso syrup:
Brew fresh espresso. To 1 cup of hot espresso, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir until dissolved.
To assemble the tiramisu:
Divide the sheet of ladyfingers into 2 (8 by 10-inch) sheets. Divide espresso syrup into 2 portions. Divide the mascarpone cream into 3 portions. Spread the first portion of the mascarpone cream at the bottom of a deep (preferably glass) mold topped with the first sheet of ladyfingers. Pour 1 portion of espresso syrup on to the layer of ladyfingers until soaked. Repeat process. Lastly, top with the remaining mascarpone cream and cover with grated chocolate. Cover mold and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
*You can assemble and portion out the tiramisu according to however big or small your mold is*