Tiramisu has six ingredients and no technique to hide behind. Mascarpone, eggs, sugar, savoiardi, strong coffee and cocoa. When it fails it fails in one of three predictable places.
Mistake one, cold mascarpone
Mascarpone taken straight from the fridge and beaten into a warm egg base will split. Bring it to cool room temperature first, and fold rather than whisk. Once it splits it does not come back.
Mistake two, soaking the biscuits
Savoiardi go into the coffee for about one second per side. They will feel too dry. They are not. They keep absorbing moisture from the cream for hours after assembly. A biscuit that feels correctly soaked at assembly will be a wet layer by the time it is served.
Mistake three, serving it too soon
Tiramisu needs at least six hours in the fridge and is better at twelve. The set comes from time, not from gelatin. Cutting into it early gives you a dessert that slumps on the plate.
The egg question
The traditional recipe uses raw egg. In a professional kitchen the yolks are cooked to a zabaglione over a bain-marie with the sugar, which pasteurises them and adds body, and the whites are either omitted or replaced with whipped cream. At home the zabaglione route is worth the extra ten minutes.
The coffee
Real espresso, cooled. Not instant, and not weak filter coffee. The coffee is the only bitter element balancing the sugar and the dairy, so if it is weak the dessert reads as sweet and nothing else. A little dark rum or Marsala is traditional in some regions and optional everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make tiramisu without raw eggs?
Yes. Cook the yolks with the sugar over a bain-marie into a zabaglione, and use whipped cream in place of raw whites.
How long does tiramisu keep?
Two to three days refrigerated. Dust with cocoa just before serving, not before storing.
Can it be frozen?
It can, and it defrosts reasonably, but the biscuit layer softens further. Make it fresh where possible.
Why is my tiramisu runny?
Split mascarpone, over-soaked biscuits or not enough time in the fridge. Usually the first.
Chef Giampaolo Maffini is a Milan-trained Italian chef with forty years across eighteen countries, trained under Gualtiero Marchesi, the first Italian chef to hold three Michelin stars. TIME Magazine named him a Chef to Watch in 2004. More about Giampaolo.
Working on an Italian menu? Chef Giampaolo Maffini takes restaurant openings, Italian menu development, kitchen training and task force chef contracts worldwide. See the consulting services or email chef@chefmaffini.com.
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