Light Tiramisu

I don’t know why it takes me forever to make things. Maybe it I didn’t experiment so much with proportions (ie suddenly not having enough cream), I would actually be able to match the “prep” and “cook” time.

@*b^%fs$@#hsd^!? this totally does not take only 1 hr to make! Alas, it’s worth every minute…

Anyway, here I present the lovely tiramisu. You totally get what you put in: use Italian ladyfingers, mascarpone, good quality dark chocolate, fine cocoa and coffee, and it will love you in return.

This is one of my favorite desserts but I rarely make it since the ingredients cost can definitely add up. The richness comes from, of course, mascarpone cheese, but eggs yolks too. Some tiramisu recipes call for raw egg yolks, but you can avoid Salmonella (oh infectious disease block in med school) yet not sacrifice the custard thickness of the cream with this recipe.

Plus, it’s not very good for the waistline

So how to make it healthier? Replace some of the mascarpone with greek yogurt. I was giddy with excitement with my little experiment: you can’t tell a difference, and everyone raved about its richness with nary a suspicion about the health benefits they were getting. Save money and calories? Sounds good to me. Adapted from Allrecipes.

Ingredients
3 egg yolks
3/4 cups white sugar
2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
6 oz mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp white sugar
vanilla extract
2 (12 ounce) packages ladyfingers
1/4 cup coffee
unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
semisweet chocolate, for garnish

Directions
Combine egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler, over boiling water. Reduce heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and whip yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add mascarpone to whipped yolks. Beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks. Gently fold into yolk mixture and set aside. Split the lady fingers in half, and line the bottom and sides of a large glass bowl. Brush with coffee. Spoon half of the cream filling over the lady fingers. Repeat ladyfingers, coffee liqueur and filling layers.

Garnish with cocoa (No sifter? It’s ok, use a teapot strainer!) and chocolate curls. To make the chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and run it down the edge of the chocolate bar (takes more time, but making pretty chocolate curls is just as important as studying neurology)

Refrigerate several hours or overnight.