Who doesn’t love Tiramisu? Silly question, right? But who among us knew it was such a new thing? I’ll explain in a moment. We are here today to pay our respects to the inventor of Tiramisu. Roberto ‘Loli’ Linguaotto passed away last week at the age of 81…
As we hinted… Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert that is so embedded in the world’s culinary psyche, you’d think it was hundreds of years old. But it was only invented in the early 1970’s!
Back story…
The legend goes, Tiramisu was created only after a long, frustrating process of experimentation. And the secret ingredient – mascarpone cheese – was discovered almost by accident.
Loli was the pastry chef at the historic Le Beccherie restaurant in Treviso, in the northern Italian region of Veneto. The resto remains a top culinary attraction today, for tourists and locals, alike.
What they did
Lilo and the resto owner’s wife, Alba Campeol, worked together refining the recipe and trying dif-ferent additions and presentations. Alba had a specific idea of what she wanted. And Loli was just the pasrty pro to make it happen.
Alba sought a new dessert that would remind her of the zabaglione and coffee her mom made her every morning for breakfast when she was pregnant with her first child, back in 1955. Loli tried various concoctions based on cream, ricotta and other creamy bases to no avail. Tiramisu, in its final form, didn’t make the menu at la Beccherie until 1972!
What it is
For those who have not yet had the pleasure… “Tiramisu is a is an Italian dessert made of ladyfinger pastries (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone [cheese] and flavoured with cocoa,” Wikipedia affirms. “The recipe has been adapted into many varieties of cakes and other desserts.The name comes from the Italian tirami su (literally, ‘pick me up‘ or ‘cheer me up‘).”
An authentic recipe for the elegant yet simple dessert appeared earlier this year in The New York Times, 50 years after it exploded on the global food scene.
The ingredients list contains fewer than 10 ingredients…
For the Cream:
- large egg yolks
- ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar, divided
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup/227 grams mascarpone (8 ounces)
For the assembly:
- 1¾ cups good espresso or very strong coffee
- 2 tablespoons rum or cognac
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- About 24 ladyfingers
- 1 to 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, for shaving (optional)
… and the preparation is straightforward. The dish goes together in just 6 simple steps.
My take
If you love chocolate and coffee – especially in combination with a dash of rum or cognac! – you owe it to yourself to try Tiramisu. Once you’ve tried it, you may7 just embark on a decade-long experimental journey of your own, making this unique and entrancing treat your own…
~ Maggie J.