Tiramisu alla Fragole - Strawberry Tiramisu

I'd say this is something that can be made in advance, but it is more the case that it must be made in advance. Yes, it's another dessert. We had company, okay? I did keep the sweetener down as much as I could - other people might want to double the honey in both the berries and the cheese filling, and I'm sure it could handle it.

I had a little trouble getting the right size dish for this, and in the end I borrowed one from Mom. Hers probably held about 1 1/2 quarts; it's possible I might have squeezed it into a dish that held 1 quart but it would have been a squeeze. The ideal dish is probably 1 1/4 quarts (5 cups) and who makes one like that? The big thing is that the lady fingers should go into the space in 2 neat layers, with ample but not excessive space around them to allow for all the other ingredients. The wrong container will make it less glamorous, but it will be absolutely delicious regardless, so don't let it keep you up at night.

You know, this has been another instalment in the series "Desserts which didn't have strawberries in them are greatly improved by replacing the usual flavouring with strawberries". Long may it prosper.

6 to 8 servings
30 minutes prep time
PLUS 2 hours to macerate the strawberries
PLUS 30 minutes chill time

Macerate the Berries:
2 cups strawberries
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sherry

Wash, hull, and slice the berries and put them in a container with the honey and sherry. Keep chilled for several hours.

Make the Tiramisu:
1/2 cup 10% cream
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg white
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons honey
225 grams (1 cup) mascarpone 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sherry
about 1 cup strawberries
12 lady fingers
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped shelled pistachios

Whisk the cream, egg yolks, egg white, and salt in the top of a double boiler. Heat the mixture over simmer water; while it heats add the honey. Whisk regularly until the honey melts and the mixture begins to thicken. Whisk constantly once it starts to thicken, then remove it from the double boiler as soon as it is thick. Whisk in the mascarpone, 1/3 at a time, until the mixture is smooth, then whisk in the vanilla and sherry. Let cool.

Hull the remaining strawberries and slice them in half.

Smear some of the filling on the bottom of your chosen dish and lay half the ladyfingers in it. Drizzle half the macerated berries and their juices evenly over them. Drizzle half the mascarpone filling evenly over them. Top with the remaining ladyfingers, macerated berries, and mascarpone filling in the same way. Garnish with the halved unmacerated berries over the top, and sprinkle any exposed filling evenly with the finely chopped pistachios.

Refrigerate for at least half an hour before serving to allow everything to meld together. 




Last year at this time I made Stir-Fried Zucchini.

Posted in: Ontario Food