Elevating your Tiramisu for Summer

Elevated Classics Episode 1 and current pockets of inspiration

If there’s one thing I’m constantly inspired by, it’s the theme of elevated classics. In food, in fashion, in life.

I feel comfortable saying fashion because (in a shocking development) your girl was featured in her first fashion feature article about what I wear to work. What I shared is just absolutely groundbreaking: a great pair of low rise jeans and the perfect white tee (doesn’t get more classic–though definitely not elevated– than that!!!!).

When it comes to food, especially in this day and age where everything has a time saving hack, I find it particularly therapeutic to make something with intention, with technique and with time.

The Tiramisu recipe I’m sharing today is a quintessential example of that. It calls for coffee that you’ve brewed yourself, not store bought cold brew. The technique vouches for whipped egg whites and creamy yolks to achieve the airy, fluffy texture of the mascarpone cream layer, no heavy whipping cream in sight! It’s not that cream is bad, or wrong, per se… but it acts as a crutch in tiramisu. A ‘foolproof’ way to ensure the texture is fluffy and airy.

But none of you are fools! And so I recommend trying your hand at the technique I provide below that I learned at my time at Ebbio. Now the immediate recipe is classic across the board, but I’m all for tasteful elevation– especially in the summer when I find myself hosting the most and constantly looking for new inspiration. And sometimes that something new is just a sliiiiight twist on a dish you’ve already made many times before. So following the classic Tiramisu recipe below you’ll find some ideas for twists in flavor and plating to shake things up.

the only thing prettier than tiramisu itself is a plate streaked with cooca and cream after it's been eaten

ebbio’s tiramisu

serves 8

what you need

~24 lady fingers (I like Matilde Vicenzi Vicenzovo brand, you’ll need two packages)

4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

2 cups (500 g) cold mascarpone (I like nonno nanni brand)

2 cups of espresso or strong coffee, cooled*

~1/2 cup cocoa powder

what you do

using a whisk or a hand mixer, whip the egg yolks and sugar together until fluffy and the mixture turns pale yellow in color, about 3-5 minutes. Since I call for the mascarpone cold, it will be quite stiff. I like to use a spoon or whisk to soften slightly by mixing quickly directly in the container. Then, add to the egg yolk/ sugar mixture, whipping together until fully combined. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until light and fluffy, abut 3-5 minutes. Then, carefully fold egg whites into the cream mixture using a spatula. Take care not to over-mix as this would result in a deflated/runny cream.

Dust a medium serving dish with cocoa powder until evenly coated. dip each lady finger into your coffee/espresso twice quickly (you do not want to soak them in the coffee) and then place in your prepared dish. repeat until your first layer of lady fingers is assembled. spread half the cream evenly over the lady fingers, dust with cocoa powder, and repeat the process for the top layer. dust with a final layer of cocoa powder then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve. Keeps in the fridge for 3 days and (I find) gets better with each passing day!

*the quality of your coffee/espresso matters a lot for this recipe. I don’t have a Moka pot, which would be ideal, so instead I used my french press. I freshly grind coffee beans and brew using a ratio of 22 g coffee: 170 g water. To get the total amount of coffee needed, this ended up being 44 g coffee: 340 g water. Remember, you can always brew more if you run out when dipping!

If we stop there we have “the classic” but do we elevate?

Elevating with Flavor

We can do that with flavor, adding a shot or two of frangelico, a hazelnut liquor, to the coffee mixture prior to dipping our lady fingers for an eveeeeeer so subtle, slightly boozy twist. Or swapping traditional cocoa powder for black or ‘dutched’ cocoa powder to intensify the flavor and color… brown and white is cool but black and white is pretty sexy!

Elevating with Presentation

We can elevate with plating, too. You already know I love a non traditional serving vessel and tiramisu is a dessert particularly well suited for any shape/ size dish. I love the look of serving in a stainless coupe to present individually, or for a show-stopping moment you can scale up to serve in a big bowl or large platter. A ‘naked’ tiramisu is also a fun idea… stacking her high like timber logs to expose the stacks of lady fingers. You can also play around with piping the mascarpone layer in different shapes, as opposed to just spreading it over the lady finger layer with a spatula.

glass coupes are fun because you can see the layers, but a metal coupe is sleek as hell

I think this will serve as Episode 1 of a little series on elevated classics, cause more often than not there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.

pockets of inspiration

i’m reading

A friend recently shared an essay she came across on Substack called Make Something Heavy and it’s been top of mind for the past few weeks. I’m trying to create more with intention as I’m finding that the quick win, minimal time/effort projects are not often fulfilling for the creator (me) to create, nor the consumer (you) to consume. It’s the type of easily digestible, dopamine hit, mindless, low hanging fruit content that is easy to consume but doesn’t necessarily feel good after.

The Artist’s Way. I’m finishing up week 7 and it’s been a really fulfilling personal project. I’m fully leaning into the ~woo woo~ of it all, giving myself little mantras for every week, relishing the weekly artist dates, and beginning to feel a lot of joy (one again) from the creative process.

The Atlantic- print issue. I usually skip any cover story that dives into the depressing state of our country because I simply can’t handle that before bed… BUT it’s been really fun learning about the origins of Kosher salt, a man who survived stranded in a lifeboat at sea for weeks, and the science behind the minimally conscious state.

i’m scrolling

I’ve been replacing more and more of my time spent scrolling instagram with scrolling pinterest and substack, especially as I begin to dive deep into wedding planning. I’ve been entranced by vintage menus, particularly old ones from Chez Panisse:

The colors, the fonts, the simple yet intentional graphics… I can’t get enough. A friend of mine who writes

Your Friend in Food

saw my substack note about these menus and suggested two different vintage menu books that I promptly ordered. I have so many recipes earmarked in Menu Design in Europe that I plan to recreate for future dinner parties :) Thank you Abena!!

That’s all for this week! I’m away in Trieste, Italy for the next few days with Illy coffee. Find me on instagram and tik tok to keep up with the latest!

xx,

Maddy