Is Tiramisù the most adaptable dessert for Fusion Cuisine?

Pineapple tiramisu at Bistro:D restaurant, Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei

Photo by Peter Dowling ©

Limoncello Tiramisù

Would you like t make a tiramisù style dessert without coffee? Are you a fan of lemons and limoncello? I had a jar of lemon curd to finish, so I made up this lemon version, and it worked wonders: in fact it tastes so good that no one will be believe that it is so easy to make! Of course I used NZ best limoncello, Limoncello Sovrano. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp of lemon curd

300 ml cream

1 small glass of Limoncello Sovrano thinned with a little water

12 savoiardi biscuits

Edible Flowers to decorate

Smooth the lemon curd with 3 tbsp of cream, then whip the rest of the cream and fold with the lemon curd mixture. Place the Limoncello in a deep plate and add a little water to thin it down (or use just limoncello - I prefer to thin it down so that my kids can also eat this). Quickly soak the savoiardi biscuits in the limoncello, one side only, then place them in a serving bowl, soaked side up.

 Add some cream and lemon curd mixture and then repeat, making two or there layers (depending on the shape and size of your bowl. 

Cover everything with a final layer of cream and lemon curd mixture and refrigerate for a few hours.

Decorate with edible flowers (I used roses and borage flowers). Serve.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Tiramisù di Alessandra

I developed this recipe many years ago when I was living in Japan, and it has two particularities:

it is made with cream instead of mascarpone (which was difficult to find then, but then became my signature dish - thus the name!) and the topping is not cocoa but Italian ground coffee. I also like to use whisky, good quality, it makes all the difference!

Tiramisù di Alessandra

Ingredients

3 free range eggs, separated

300ml cream

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar

15ml espresso coffee

15ml whisky

20 (1 x 250g packet) savoiardi or sponge biscuits

espresso coffee powder for dusting (or cocoa)

Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks. Lightly  whip the cream, then fold in the eggs whites and beat together for a few seconds. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks together with 1 tbsp of sugar until runny. Add to the cream and egg white mixture and beat again for a few seconds, In a wide soup bowl mix the espresso coffee, whisky and the remaining sugar and quickly dip the savoiardi biscuits, sugary side only, in the liquid. Arrange the biscuits soaked side up, in a 5cm deep 20x20 serving dish. Spoon over a little more coffee liquid if the biscuits look dry. Spread hald of the cream mixture over the biscuits and repeat with the remaining ingredients, Bang the dish on the working surface to remove any air bubbles in the dessert and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight,. One hour before serving dust with plenty of ground Italian espresso coffee (or cocoa). Refrigerate again, cut into squares and serve.

Recipe by Alessandra Zecchini ©, from the book Sweet As…easy to make desserts and baked treats, New Holland Publishers NZ

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

I like to enter this post for Sweet New Zealand #39, the blogging event open to every one blogging in NZ, and all the Kiwi bloggers living overseas! This month of September is hosted by Lesley at Eat, etc.. Click here to enter! And let me know if you are keen to host Sweet New Zealand in November!