Tiramisu

is a light Italian dessert of ladyfingers infused with expresso and liqueur, layered with a rich cheese filling and topped with grated chocolate.  The name tiramisł means "pick-me-up", referring to the two caffeine-containing ingredients, espresso and chocolate.

3/4 cup expresso
1 oz coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
1 oz dark rum (Myers's)

24 ladyfingers (7 oz bag) *

4 egg yokes
1/4 cup Splenda (or sugar)
1 oz orange liqueur
1 oz dark rum (Myers's)
2 oz sweet Marsala wine
1/2 tsp orange zest, grated
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 lb mascarpone cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup whipping cream

semi-sweet chocolate (room temperature)

Mix together the expresso, coffee liqueur and dark rum.

Place a waxpaper strip around the inside wall of an assembled eight inch springform pan.  Cut ten to twelve lady fingers exactly in half and use a pastry brush to paint the expresso mixture onto each ladyfinger half.  Arrange the ladyfingers, cut side down around the parameter of the pan, against the waxpaper.  Do not soak these parameter ladyfingers, as they will fall apart if they absorb too much liquid.

Make a zabaglione: Place egg yokes in the top of a double boiler and mix in Splenda, orange liqueur, rum, Marsala, zest and vanilla extract. Place over gently boiling water and stir continually with a hand mixer. The zabaglione will thicken. Bring the zabaglione to 140F and remove from heat. Place the pan in cold water to cool.

Fold the mascarpone cheese into the cooled zabaglione. Beat the whipping cream until thick. Fold the whipped cream into the zabaglione.

Line the bottom of the springform pan with 1/2 of the remaining ladyfingers which have been well painted with the expresso mixture. Layer 1/2 of the zabaglione over the ladyfingers. Make another layer with the remaining expresso soaked ladyfingers. Layer the remaining zabaglione over ladyfingers.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, let the tiramisu come almost to room temperature, remove the pan's side and the waxpaper.  Garnish with semi-sweet chocolate curls.

* Get two (2) bags of ladyfinger if your springform pan is over eight inches in diameter.  One (1) bag is lean for an eight inch pan.

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