From the Italian “tirami sù,” meaning “restore my strength,” tiramisu is an Italian dessert that is very popular in France. The basic ingredients are simple: eggs, mascarpone, coffee, sugar, ladyfingers or sponge biscuits, chocolate, and cocoa powder. But here, we’re going to take things a step further and offer you ideas for making an original tiramisu that’s out of the ordinary. Get your aprons on!
Why an original tiramisu?
- It’s easy to do: once you’ve mastered whipping egg whites, all you need is a little patience.
- To be able to incorporate things we prefer: add a layer of spread on top of the creamy mixture, for example.
- This dessert is making a comeback after a period when it was neglected in favor of chocolate fondant.
- For those who don’t like coffee but like all the other ingredients in tiramisu
What variations are possible?
- Biscuits: replace ladyfingers with shortbread, Oreos or speculoos – you’re sure to make some friends!
- Replace coffee with alcohol for adults or chocolate milk for children (young and old)
- Experiment with chocolate: very dark, milk, or white for a sweet finish.
What original recipes should I try?
Nutella and speculoos tiramisu for 6 people
- Separate the yolks from the whites of three eggs
- Add 250g of mascarpone and 4 tablespoons of Nutella to the egg yolks and mix well.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form
- Bring 80ml of water and 60g of white sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Once boiling, remove the syrup from the heat (after about three minutes).
- Immediately incorporate this syrup into the beaten egg whites and whisk until the mixture has completely cooled.
- Incorporate the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture
- Place 125g of speculoos cookies in the bottom of a mold and cover with 150ml of cold coffee, allowing the cookies to soak up the coffee. If you prefer the cookies to be a little crunchier, you can simply dip each speculoos cookie in the cold coffee before placing it in the mold. This takes longer and the coffee flavor is slightly less pronounced, but it ensures the biscuit layer of the tiramisu isn’t too soggy.
- Spread half of the mascarpone mixture
- Arrange the remaining speculoos cookies on top of the mixture and cover with the remaining mascarpone.
- Smooth the mixture and cover with speculoos crumbs or cocoa powder
How about making French toast with tiramisu?
This simple recipe is perfect for a particularly decadent brunch for two. Here’s how to make it:
- Add a spoonful of instant coffee to a mixture of 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of cream.
- Dip 4 slices of brioche or bread in the mixture before frying them in a little butter.
- Spread the French toast with a mixture of 100g mascarpone cheese, a teaspoon of honey, and a teaspoon of cocoa powder. Arrange some sliced strawberries on top to serve. Enjoy!
