Tiramisu - literally "Pick Me Up"

5 whole eggs
2-3 cups of sugar
500 grams of mascarpone cheese
1/2 pint of heavy cream
1 cup ultra concentrated expresso (Italian made like illy)
approx. 30 count lady fingers or biscotti savoiardi
2 tbsp. kahlua (optional)
Unsweetened coca powder

To prepare:

1. Make the expresso first to allow it to cool while you prepare the other ingredients. Make it very strong. Add kahlua once the liquid cools. (optional)

2. Separate egg yolks from the whites, and discard the whites.

3. Whisk yolks in a medium-sized bowl with 2-3 cups of sugar. Consistency should be creamy but still a little grainy and very moist.

4. Add the mascarpone cheese and whisk until smooth.

5. Whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl until thick and peaky. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the egg/sugar/mascarpone mixture and avoid beating as the cream.

6. Next find a medium-sized baking dish or container suited for tiramisu. 9" x 9" is what I used for this recipe.

7. Dip individual lady fingers into the expresso and line the bottom of the baking dish with them. Be careful not to oversaturate the lady fingers as they will become mushy and fall apart and that isn't very nice to eat. Do not soak for more than 1 second; these things are like sponges.

8. After finishing the first layer, pour half the cream you've made on top of them and evenly distribute to cover everything.

9. Repeat step 7. I like to layer going the opposite direction so that the lady fingers lay perpendicular to each other.

10. Pour the remaining cream onto the second layer of lady fingers and distribute.

11. I used a mesh cover to dust the top layer of cream evenly with the unsweetened cocoa powder.

12. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 8-12 hours.

Article and baking by Chris Grantham