By: dieraecherin

You get instant kitchen creed with tiramisu. It’s trendy, exotic, and amazingly easy (I’ve got a friend whose kitchen repertoire consists exclusively of minute rice and tiramisu). Plus it’s got chocolate,coffee and booze, which is always a great combination. Legend has it that tiramisu (which translates literally as “pick me up” in Italian) was originally a favorite of Venetian courtesans who needed an extra jolt of energy for a busy night’s work. So it’s got that going for it, too. Finally, tiramisu is one of those forgiving recipes that you can screw up completely until the final step. Then you cover it all up and nobody’s the wiser.

These days, all of the ingredients can be found in most supermarkets. If not, try to find an Italian specialty store, which is great for all kinds of delicious goodies:

A half cup of sugar, plus more for coffee

6 egg yolks

Pinch of salt

I pound mascarpone chees

3 cups strong coffee

Cocoa

A half cup of Kailua or other coffee

1. In a medium-size bowl, combine the sugar, egg yolks (see Technical Tip below), salt, and cheese. Whisk vigorously until creamy and slightly pale. Put bowl in the refrigerator.

2. Brew the coffee (or use instant coffee to make it easy), add sugar to taste, and combine with Kahlua in a small bowl.

3.Find a nice, medium-size glass or ceramic serving bowl for the tiramisu.

4. Dip a ladyfinger into the coffee, then remove it, let it drain quickly and place it in the bottom of the serving bowl. Repeat to make a complete layer of ladyfingers.

5. Pour and spread just enough of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers to cover.

6. Sprinkle a generous layer of cocoa over the cheese.

7. Add additional layers to fill the bowl. You can either sprinkle just a little cocoa on the top layer, or cover it completely to hide any imperfections. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, or even longer for richer flavor. Makes about 6 servings, with leftovers.

Technical Tip

An easy way to separate eggs is to gently break the egg into a small bowl, keeping the yolk intact, and then just reach in and grab the yolk, draining the whites between your fingers.