Foodie Friday: Italy Inspired: Tiramisu

I haven’t written about my time there yet but in college I studied abroad in Florence Italy for a summer. While there I also ate a lot of food and along with gelato and marinara pizza my favorite thing was the tiramisu. I had had tiramisu in the states but it was so much better there.

It was several years before I made tiramisu myself. I would like to say that my first experiment was a success. Success does not mean that I didn’t learn a few things:

• Always have more espresso than the recipe call for.
• Don’t soak the ladyfingers even a moment too long because they will fall to pieces.
• Mixers are great tools for combining the milk and mascarpone.

For this recipe I actually used cold brew coffee concentrate rather than espresso because I don’t have a way to make espresso at home. I went to Starbucks and talked to the baristas and told them what I was doing and what I needed. Yes, I could have bought enough espresso for my recipe but it would have cost more than was reasonable.

This recipe came from a Good Housekeeping Cookbook that was given years ago. At the time I thought it was a stupid gift. Now, I love it and thank my Nana for it quite often. I made this for my stepdad when we visited for an early Thanksgiving. 

This is after a layer of espresso and brandy soaked ladyfingers, a layer of mascarpone/heavy cream, and a second layer of espresso soaked ladyfingers.

Finished product with coco powder sprinkled on top with a garnish of blueberries and mint leaves.

**All pictures by Laci McGee.