Tiramisu

It was another lazy Sunday at home and since we were stuck inside because of the rain, I decided to make a tiramisu with my six-year old. It's a great recipe to do with kids because there's no baking involved and it's not too fussy so they can make it from start to finish. You'll see from the photos above that he did the dipping and layering of the ladyfingers plus the cocoa powder topping. Here's the foolproof recipe.

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Tiramisu

• about 24 Italian savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers)
• 3 Tbsp. (45 ml.) espresso coffee
• 1 Tbsp. brandy or grappa (optional)
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) vanilla sugar*
• 8 ounces (250 grams) Mascarpone cheese
• 1 ounce grated bittersweet chocolate or bittersweet cocoa powder

• Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.
• Whisk in the vanilla sugar to the egg yolks then mix in the Mascarpone.
• Make 3 small espressos and pour into a shallow container to cool. Add the brandy or Grappa if you decide to use it.
• Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff.
• Slowly fold in the egg whites to the egg yolk and cheese mixture.
• Dip the ladyfingers one by one into the coffee then lay them side by side in a porcelain or glass dish.
• After making one layer, spread half of the egg and cheese mixture over it, covering the biscuits entirely.
• Add another layer of coffee-soaked biscuits then spread the rest of the mixture onto the top.
• Strain some cocoa powder onto it or if you prefer, grate some dark chocolate on top.
• Leave to cool in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

* Vanilla sugar is made from leaving split vanilla beans in the jar with the white sugar. If you don't have vanilla sugar, you can use plain white sugar and add a teaspoon of vanilla essence instead.