When I first learned that this month’s Daring Bakers challenge was Tiramisu, I thought “Woo Hoo!”. At last, an easy one! I’m Italian. I can make tiramisu in my sleep! Then I read something about making our own savoiardi, which are the “lady fingers” that act as the base of the dish. WHA….? And then, there was something about making a zabaglione, a Marsala wine based type of custard, as well as a pastry cream. HUH? This didn’t sound like any kind of tiramisu that I’d ever seen, eaten or even heard of. And, I’ve been intimately acquainted with tiramisu for most of my life. But, I am a good sport, so I went along. However, when I got to the part about making our own homemade mascarpone cheese, I began to sweat (and it was 45 degrees here). Make our own mascarpone?!?! WTF? But, I did it. And, though it took a reallllly long time, it wasn’t hard. And, even though it wasn’t like any tiramisu I ever knew, it still tasted pretty darn good.
The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession. read more >>
Filed Under: Cookies and Brownies, Custards and Puddings, Daring Bakers, Italian, Recipes