I’ve served tiramisu at a couple of my Fourth Friday Night Dinner Parties at the winery. Since then, I’ve been asked for the recipe. My good friend Susan makes the dessert and it has taken me a while to get that recipe. Well finally, here it is:

Tiramisu
1/4 c. marsala
2 tsp. gelatin, divided
6 large egg yolks
1 c. sugar
1-1/4 c. mascarpone cheese
1 c. heavy cream
2 7-oz. pkgs. Savolardi cookies or ladyfinger
1 c. strong coffee
1/2 c. coffee liqueur
1 tsp. instant expresso
1/2 c. Dark Dutch processed cocoa

Start by separately dissolving each teaspoon of gelatin in 2 Tablespoon of water by microwaving for 15-30 seconds. Add one set of the dissolved gelatin to the marsala and reserve the other for heavy cream.
Put one to one-and-a-half inches of water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer. Put eggs in the top of the double boiler. Add sugar and beat until sugar and yolk mixture thickens. Place the top on the bottom and stir with a flexible spatula, scrapping down the side and the bottom frequently. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Take off heat and stir in marsala-gelatin mixture. Beat with a hand mixture until very thick and light in color (almost ivory). Fold in mascarpone until smooth. Set aside.

Beat heavy cream until foamy and then add the second set of dissolved gelatin in a stand mixture. Beat until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture until smooth.
Mix coffee, liqueur and expresso powder in a small bowl.

Prepare a 9×9-inch cake pan by lining it with foil. Allow enough foil to hang over all edges of the pan so you can lift the cake when set. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with cocoa – just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Dip cookies* in coffee mixture quickly. Cookies should be wet, but not soaked. Lay half of the cookies closely together (side by side) in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with cocoa. Spread half of the custard mix over the cocoa-covered cookies. Sprinkle with more cocoa. Repeat with the last of the cookies and custard. Finish with cocoa.

Cover lightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, overnight is best.

*If using bakery ladyfingers, they must be very dry. Lay them on a paper towel-line sheet pan sprinkled with powdered sugar. Sprinkle more powdered sugar on top of the ladyfingers and place another paper towel on top. Let cookies sit out overnight or for 24 hours to ensure they are completely dry. Then when dipping into the coffee mixture, only dip one side of the cookie.
Yields 9 servings.