Tiramisu

¼ Cup Sugar
1 Cup Freshly Brewed Espresso
3 T Dark Rum
Approx 45 lady fingers (about two packages if store bought)

6 Large Egg Yolks
1/3 Cup Sugar
½ Cup Heavy Cream
1 ½ Cups Mascarpone Cheese
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder for garnish.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the ¼ cup sugar with ¼ cup water and cook, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in the espresso, and let cool to room temp. When cool, stir in the rum, adding more to taste if desired.

To make the filling, in a heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture turns a pale yellow and light in texture. (About 2 minutes.) Place the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water or double boiler. Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the yolk mixture until very thick, being careful not to get the mixture too hot. (About 6 minutes.) Remove from heat and set aside to cool, stirring frequently. (This can also be done with a kitchenaid mixer if you transfer back and forth from the heat to the mixer until thick.)

Meanwhile, beat the cream until stiff peaks form when the beater is lifted.

Add the mascarpone and vanilla to the yolk mixture. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Then using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream.

To assemble, line a square or rectangular dish with one layer of ladyfingers. Gently pour a very thin stream of the espresso mixture all over each of the ladyfingers. (You may also choose to use a pastry brush, but I find it does not get enough of the liquid soaked into the cookies.) Just make sure the cookies are not so drenched that they fall apart but are soaked completely through. (Approx 1/3 Cup of the mixture.) Using a rubber spatula, evenly spread half the filling over the ladyfingers. Then place another single layer of ladyfingers over the filling in the pan. Then again, carefully pour approx ¼ cup of the espresso mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers. (This is also where it might come in handy to use a pastry brush since you do not want to dilute the filling with too much espresso.) Then finish the top with the remaining filling, cover with plastic wrap and chill 6 hours to overnight.

Just before serving, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake and sift cocoa powder over the top and sprinkle with a few fresh rasberries.

Recipe adapted by M. DeMonte from Williams Sonoma: Italian.