My First Encounter With Tiramisu on my Trip to Italy

When I visited Italy, I learnt about Tiramisu and I have never since been able to forget this rather wonderful dessert. Since most Italian dishes are very delicious and quite elaborate, at the end of such a meal, a worthwhile dessert is usually necessary. It is for this reason that Italians are actually very famous for their desserts.

Tiramisu is simply an Italian dessert that is created with ladyfingers that are dipped in coffee. These are then layered with egg yolk and mascarpone cheese having been whipped together. Cocoa is often used to add flavor to the dessert. The exact recipe for this dessert has been used to create several other cakes, puddings as well as desserts. It has also been slightly modified in many parts of the world to attain different tastes of the dessert.

The exact origin of this dessert is an issue that is very much under debate. While some people attribute it to an Italian chef from Venice, others say it originated in the city of Siena. There are some that say that confectioners came up with the recipe as a way to honor Cosimo III who was visiting the country at the time. As I learnt while in Italy, the word Tiramisu actually translates to 'make me happy' or 'pick me up', which according to some stories is a representative for the caffeine that is used as a part of the ingredients.

The exact origin of this dessert may be an issue of debate but the moment I tasted it for the first time, I knew for a fact that whoever had created it was a real genius. Tiramisu basically has a number of layers of biscuits that are soaked in coffee along with a mixture of sugar, eggs and cheese. To be able to prepare this biscuit layer, the Savoiardi biscuits are simply soaked in any strong coffee or espresso for that matter. To make the mascarpone cheese layer, usually some egg yolks and sugar are prepared first and then the cheese is added to the mixture. While I was learning how to prepare this dessert it occurred to me that when the layers are being added, they are then topped with some cocoa powder dusting. The reason for this is in the fact that this dessert is supposed to have a specific taste and anything short of this would not attain the intended purpose.

There are many different ways one can prepare Tiramisu and while some people prefer to have it sweet, others prefer it less sweet. There are a host of other cheese mixtures that I often use when preparing this dessert and some actually have raw eggs while others do not even have any eggs at all. Occasionally I add Marsala wine to the recipe. I have also learnt that there are other liquors that can be added to the mixture both in the case of the cheese mixture as well as the coffee mixture. Some of the liquors that can be added include Port, Brandy, Irish Cream and Madeira.

If you want to learn more interesting and tasty recipes such as the one for tiramisu, you can find more at this link . Rate this ArticleMy First Encounter With Tiramisu on my Trip to ItalyNot Rated YetJames Bor has published 15 articles. Article submitted on July 17, 2013. Word count: 505

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