Tiramisu

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I really love cheese in desserts, like cheesecake, cannoli, and tiramisu. I had never made tiramisu before, but was making an Italian dinner for some of my friends the other night and decided to finish the evening with this delicious cheesey/boozey/espressoy/chocolatey dessert. It was a wonderful end to the meal.

It requires some ingredients that may not be at every grocery store in this fine nation, but one should be able to find mascarpone and lady fingers somewhere near where s/he lives. If you cannot find mascarpone, or you don't want to pay for it (its a bit pricey), you can substitute 8ounces of mascarpone with 8 ounces of cream cheese + 2 tbs. heavy cream + 3 tbs. sour cream. Recipe Adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups strong black coffee, room temperature
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
6 tablespoons dark rum
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 (scant) teaspoon salt
16 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (cold)
40-50 ladyfingers, depending on size
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate, grated

Brew the coffee and let sit until room temperature. Add the espresso powder and 3 tablespoons of rum and stir to dissolve. Set aside.

In an electric mixer beat the egg yolks until smooth. Add the sugar, and beat until pale yellow and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of rum and beat until incorporated. Add mascarpone and beat until no lumps remain, scraping down the sides once or twice. Pour mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

Pour the whipping cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until stiff peaks form. Slowly and carefully fold whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture just until combined. Set aside.

One at a time, drop half of each lady finger into the coffee mixture, roll to dip the other side, remove and transfer into the bottom of an 8x8 glass baking dish. Do not submerge the lady fingers-- each cookie should be in the coffee mixture for 2 seconds or less. Arrange the soaked cookies in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Layer with half of the mascarpone mixture. Top with half of the sifted cocoa, followed by another layer of the soaked lady fingers, the rest of the mascarpone, and the rest of the sifted cocoa.

Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours. Before serving shave chocolate on top of the tiramisu. Cut and serve!