Hey Guys!! Today I wanted to share my story about when I made tiramisu for the restaurant at my school. In my Professional Cooking Class, the students are working in a restaurant that is open to the public. Each week the students are assigned a station in the restaurant that they will be responsible for working at during that service. The stations include Garde Manger (Salads), Soups, Brick Oven (Pizzas), Saute, Grill, Breads, and Desserts. For most of the stations, the menu is assigned, however, while on the Breads station or the Desserts station, there is some creativity. Both of these stations have required dishes but as for the last menu item that is up to the student who is on the station. When I was scheduled to be on the Desserts station I immediately knew I wanted to make my all-time favorite dessert, Tiramisu. Despite knowing what I wanted to make there were some other aspects that I needed to consider. Some requirements go along with picking a dessert to go onto the menu in the restaurant. Each dish must have a main component, a sauce, a crunch element, and a garnish. When considering this I was stumped because every time I have had tiramisu it has just been a piece of cake on a plate. So I had to create a modernized take on the dessert I know and love. With the help of my teacher and my classmates, I came up with Tiramisu: Marsala-Soaked Lady Fingers with Light Marscarpone Cream, Caramel Latte Ice Cream, a Cocoa Nib Crispy Rice Crunch, and Salted Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce. Now let’s get into how I did it!
The Tiramisu:
- 12 Ounces Strong Coffee (Warm)
- 5 Ounces Marsala Wine (Divided)
- 50-60 Ladyfingers (Homemade or Store-Bought)
- 16-18 Ounces Mascarpone
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 4 Ounces Sugar (Divided)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
- Cocoa Powder (For The Top)
The Caramel Latte Ice Cream:
- 2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk (Divided)
- 1½ Cups Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 5 Large Egg Yolks
- 3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup Coffee Beans
The Cocoa Nib Crispy Rice Crunch:
- 50 Grams Chocolate
- 20 Grams Puffed Rice
- 40 Grams Butter
- 13 Grams Sugar
The Salted Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce:
- 1/3 Cups Sugar
- 3/4 Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 4 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate
The Chocolate Spoon:
- 2 Ounces Egg Whites
- 1 Ounce Bread Flour
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste
- 2 Ounces Butter
- 2 Ounces Powdered Sugar
- 1 Ounce Cocoa Powder
- Pinch Salt
The Tiramisu: Three components make up tiramisu; the mascarpone, the lady fingers, and the coffee. First, let’s learn how to make the mascarpone mixture. To start combine the mascarpone with two ounces of the marsala wine. Then, cook the egg yolks and two ounces of sugar over simmering water while whisking vigorously and beat into the mascarpone until combined. Next whip the cream, almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt to medium peaks and fold into the mixture. Finally, whip the egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks and fold into the mascarpone. To make the coffee mixture, combine the coffee with the remaining three ounces of Marsala wine. Now it is time to build the tiramisu! Choose your desired vessel and then begin building. First, place a layer of lady fingers across the bottom of the pan. Then, brush a layer of the coffee across the lady fingers. Lastly, spread a layer of the mascarpone over the top. Continue this process until you run out of materials or space in your vessel, then cover the top with a thick layer of sifted cocoa powder and refrigerate until ready to serve.
The Caramel Latte Ice Cream: To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Place a smaller metal bowl over the ice, pour 1 ½ cups of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it. Steep the coffee beans in the remaining 1 cup of milk. Spread 1½ cups of sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go. The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup of the milk. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Finally, pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until the desired consistency is reached.
The Cocoa Nib Crispy Rice Crunch: This one is super simple! All you have to do is melt the chocolate over a double boiler and combine all the ingredients. That’s it!
The Salted Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce: Again, this is a very easy recipe. Over a double boiler melt the bittersweet chocolate and then stir in the other ingredients until well incorporated. Voila —you’ve got a delicious chocolate sauce!
The Chocolate Spoon: For the spoon, I chose to make a basic chocolate tuile recipe and then cut the dough into the shape of spoons and bake them; like you would for a cookie. To make the tuile beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Add in the egg whites, one at a time. Then, beat in the vanilla. Lower the speed and add the flour and the cocoa powder and mix until combined. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and place your stencil on it. Using a small offset spatula, place a small amount of batter in the center of your stencil and spread it out evenly. Carefully lift the stencil off. Repeat for more cookies. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and while still hot, remove tuiles from the pan. They harden quickly so be careful and work fast!
Once I had all of my components made and ready to go, it was time to plate. I wanted to use the chocolate spoon as a seat for my ice cream. This helped to prevent it from moving around and changing my plating before it made it to the guests. As for the rest of the elements I was just focused on creating an aesthetically pleasing plate. For the sauce, I decided to do little dots beside the tiramisu; for some contrast on the plate. As for the crunch, I just laid it on top of the cake to cover any mistakes and change the texture. Once that was all done, the dish was sent out to customers! It seemed to be a big hit among all of the guests as well as the other people in my class. I hope that this helps you and gives you inspiration for your tiramisu dreams, or at the very least that it was entertaining.
Until next time,
Hailey