LEMON TIRAMISU

First tweak of my tiramisu recipe.

I spotted a recipe for lemon tiramisu in a blog and decided it was such a delicious sounding idea that I just had to make one.  Instead of making that particular recipe I experimented by adapting my usual tiramisu recipe, which I got from a friend about thirty years ago.  She got it from a German magazine when she was living there.

It makes a tiramisu that is more like a trifle than a cake.  In other words you serve it by the spoonful into bowls rather than by the slice on a plate, which is the kind of tiramisu I prefer. 

Second tweak of my tiramisu recipe, my favourite version, served in a lasagne dish which is not as pretty as the big bowl but probably more suitable for people to serve themselves.

I made the second one to take to a friend’s lunchtime BBQ party, having tweaked the recipe slightly again.  It was placed on the table with all the other desserts and looked nice.  I sampled a small spoonful and thought it tasted lovely.  When I went back for a second helping there was hardly any left and another guest who was poised over it said “you should get the last of this while you can, it’s delicious”.  I thanked him for his praise and he said it was a pity I hadn’t made two!

So now I’m writing down the recipe with the scribbled changes to my friend’s original, while I can still remember where I put the scrap of paper I wrote them on and interpret my own writing!  As always, it’s even better if you make it the day before you want to eat it, chilling it in the fridge overnight so that it becomes slightly firmer.

This month’s Alphabakes Challenge, organised by Caroline of Caroline Makes and Ros of The more than occasional baker, is the letter “Z”, and this tiramisu has quite a lot of lemon zest in it.

This month’s Simply Eggcellent Challenge, created by Dom of Bellau Kitchen, is “anything goes”, as long as it has eggs in it, which this lemon tiramisu certainly does!

Ingredients

For the syrup

The juice of two lemons

The finely grated zest of one lemon

2 tblsp caster sugar

4 tblsp Limoncello

For the cheese filling

1 pack (175g) boudoir biscuits + possibly a few extra from another pack, depending on the size and shape of your dish

4 egg yolks

3 egg whites

3 heaped tblsp caster sugar

350g mascarpone cheese

the coarsely grated zest of one lemon for decoration

Method

Begin by zesting and juicing the lemons.  I used a lemon zester to get the ribbon-like strips for decoration and a fine grater to get the finely grated rind for the syrup.

For the syrup, mix together the lemon juice, Limoncello, fine zest and 2 tblsp caster sugar in a small bowl – but one big enough to dip in your boudoir biscuits.  Set aside.

Next, separate the eggs, putting 4 yolks in a large bowl with the 3 tblsp caster sugar.  Put 3 of the whites into a medium bowl.

Whip the egg yolks and sugar together using an electric whisk, until pale and thick.  Beat in the mascarpone cheese until smooth.

Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the cheese mixture.

To assemble the tiramisu, dip the boudoir biscuits one at a time into the syrup and create a single layer in the bottom of your dish.  Add half the cheese mixture.

Repeat using the rest of the biscuits, making only a single layer on top of the cheese mixture and opening a second packet of biscuits if needed according to the shape of your dish.  Brush any remaining syrup over this layer of biscuits.

Spread the rest of the cheese mixture over the biscuits, making sure you go right to the edge of the dish, leaving no gaps. 

Chill in the fridge for at least four hours and preferably overnight.

Serve chilled and sprinkle the reserved strips of lemon rind over the dessert before serving.

Serves 8.