Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. The combination of the mascarpone cheese filling with the strong flavor of the coffee syrup is to die for. Traditional tiramisu calls for ladyfinger cookies, but I used amaretti cookies because they are small and fit in the parfait glasses without having to break them. I think amaretti cookies are delicious on their own or when paired with an espresso cappucino, but they take on a whole new life when used in this velvety Italian dessert.
I prefer making tiramisu parfaits rather than the regular ”family style” tray of tiramisu. The parfaits are easy to serve if you have a lot of mouths to feed, and they look very elegant whenever served at a formal dinner at home. The small portions will make your guests feel less guilty.
1. Info for Coffee Tiramisu Parfait with Chocolate Raspberry Sauce
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 14
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Coffee Tiramisu Parfait with Chocolate Raspberry Sauce
- 4 Tbs superfine sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 cups mascarpone cheese
- 1 pint heavy cream, cold
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tsp imitation brandy extract, (2 Tbs of brandy for adults)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 Tbs instant coffee
- 2 Tbs mocha extract, (1/2 cup of Kalhua for adults)
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate, for decoration
- 1 package amaretti cookies, (7 oz)
- 1 pinch fleur de sel
- 1 dozen fresh raspberries
- 2 Tbs powdered sugar
- 1 drizzle lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp raspberry extract, (2 Tbs raspberry liqueur for addults)
- 1 Tbs light corn syrup
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbs bittersweet chocolate shavings (or curls), or coco powder
3. Directions:
- Beat the 3 egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar in a small stainless steel mixing bowl. Prepare a double boiler: Fill a saucepan with water, make sure the water barely covers the height of the stainless steel mixing bowl. I always like to add a little kitchen towel at the bottom of the saucepan. The saucepan won’t jiggle and there won’t be any splatter of water in your egg mixture. Bring the water to a boil then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Place the stainless steel bowl in the saucepan and start whisking the egg mixture vigurously for about 3-5 minutes using an handheld mixer. You’ll get a pale yellow foam and the texture of the egg yolk will be thicker. The mixture should fall like a ribbon of sauce when you lift the whisk.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone cheese to soften the product. Slowly add the egg mixture to the mascarpone. Add a little egg at a time to prevent the yolks from curdling. Add the vanilla and brandy extracts.
- Clean your handheld mixer in hot soapy water. Just make sure your handheld beater is clean prior to whipping the cream for an optimum result. The whipping cream should be whipped cold. Whisk the cream until soft peaks. Add 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar.
- Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture to get an airy batter.
- Plastic-wrap the container and place in the refrigerator until the rest of the components of the tiramisu are ready.
- Combine 2 cups of sugar, the instant coffee and boiling water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then add the mocha extract. Let the syrup cool down for about 5 minutes.
- Soak each amaretti cookies in the syrup for about 2-1/2 minutes. Transfer the cookies directly into the glasses or onto a plate using a fork. The cookies should absorb the coffee syrup but should not be soggy.
- Place all the raspberries in an immersion blender until all the fruits are pureed. Strain in a sieve and discard all the raspberry seeds. Transfer to a bowl, then add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, the raspberry extract and the lemon juice. Set aside.
- Place the semi-sweet chocolate, the corn syrup and the fleur de sel in a bowl.
- In a little saucepan, bring 1/3 cup of heavy cream to a boil and pour over the semi-sweet chocolate. Add the raspberry puree to the chocolate. Mix with a wooden spoon. The sauce will thicken as the chocolate melts. Set aside.
- Line up 10 mini trifle bowls or 14 small parfait glasses (I used brandy glasses). Add a first layer of the coffee-soaked amaretti cookies and add 2 tablespoons of the coffee syrup. For the mini trifle bowls, I placed 4 amaretti cookies per layer and only 2-3 for the brandy glasses. Drizzle the chocolate raspberry sauce on the cookies. Cover with about 1-2 tablespoons of the mascarpone filling. Repeat the same layer one more time. Finish with the mascarpone. Plastic-wrap each individual container and place in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours. The fat from the cream may pick up some other smell from the refrigerator if the containers are not sealed properly.
- When serving, sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top of the tiramisu.
- Bon appétit!
