Tiramisu

 1. Seperate eggs, and take the egg whites in a medium sized bowl, beat with the hand mixer.  When it starts foaming well, add the cream of tartar (or lemon juice),continue to beat gradually increasing the speed to medium high.

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When the beater marks show soft peaks form, add the 3 tablespoons of sugar.Continue beating for a minute more till the whites form stiff peaks,if you lift the beaters from the whites, you should be able to see peaks which stand straight. If they droop right away and fall back, you have to beat a little more. Once the whites are whipped to the right consistency, keep the bowl aside. 

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2.In the  large bowl,take the egg yolks and the 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Beat on high speed till the mixture turns thick and pale yellow.( when you raise the beaters the batter should fall back into the bowl in a slow ribbon.) 

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 Beat in the vanilla extract.  Sift the cake flour over the batter but do not fold in.  Fold the whites into the egg yolk and flour mixture in three additions, mixing only until incorporated. Dont over-do this, you will be deflating the batter, knocking off the air and volume.

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3. Fill the batter (with a large spoon) into the piping bag/bags. Holding the bag at about a 45 degree angle to the baking sheet, pipe the batter into 3 inch (7.5 cm) long ladyfingers, using the lines drawn on the parchment paper as your guide.  Pipe the batter leaving about a 1 inch (2.54 cm) space between the cookies.  When you have piped all the cookies, place the powdered sugar in a wire strainer, and lightly sift the sugar over the tops of the cookies.  Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until the ladyfingers are firm but barely browned and are still spongy when pressed with a finger. 

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4.Remove the baking sheets from the oven and slide the parchment paper from the baking sheets onto a wire rack.  Let the ladyfingers cool for a few minutes and release them from the parchment paper, with a flat spatula, while they are still warm. If they have grown into each other, use a pizza cutter to cut.  If you left them completely cool before removing them from the parchment they stick and hard to remove without breaking.  Finish cooling the ladyfingers on the wire rack before using or storing.  If you are not using the ladyfingers right away, freeze them. Ladyfingers stale very quickly unless they are soaked in a liquid.To store, place in a plastic bag between layers of wax or parchment paper and freeze up to 2 weeks. 

Whipped Cream:
Chill the containers and beaters. Use refrigerated cold water. I used readymade whipped cream powder from brand blue bird,followed the instructions on the packet ,which says to add 50gm of whipped cream powder to 90ml of water and beat over medium to high speed.You'll get the whipped cream ready.

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Assemble Tiramisu

2. Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.

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3.In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

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4.Now to start assembling the tiramisu.Working quickly, dip12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy.  As you dip each ladyfinger, immediately transfer each one to the  ready rectangular serving dish, placing them side by side in a single row.

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You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered. I have made 2 layers of ladyfingers and 2 of cream. i.e. ladyfingers at the bottom and cream on the top layer.

 (Original recipe says Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges. Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer). Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight. 

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5.Carefully lift the dessert out of the tin, or invert and then re-invert onto the serving platter. (May be messy and if not set properly, i didn't do this as i was not confident enough) 

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6. Dust the top generously with cocoa, decorate with coffee beans and chocolate curls. If you leave the cocoa dusted dessert in the fridge, it will turn a beautiful darker color gradually. Be sure to keep the Tiramisu covered airtight - a cake caddy works best. Cut into wedges and serve. Save some to eat the next day too!

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