On Saturday, August 28, I appeared with my good mate Alex Head of Head Wines on Eastside FM on the program “Food in Focus” where Alex discussed his latest release of wines and I babbled on incessantly about how I like to make Tiramisu. Sorry to anyone who listened to it.

The tiramisu I ended up making was a combination of a couple of recipes – Terry Durack’s Tiramisu and Matthew Evans’ Chocolate Mousse, so it’s slightly tedious to make. But it turns out quite nicely, so if you have an hour spare and you’re into that sort of thing then give it a go. For the record, the best coffee in the East is at The De Bartoli Coffee Centre in Bondi Junction, and Europan in Double Bay (Yes, you can get Kopi Luwak there, and yes, I drank it and it was delicious).

You have to make the mousse first obviously, let it set an hour or so then it will be ready to use in the tiramisu recipe. The amounts I have set out below are the original recipes and would probably make enough for 10 individual tiramisu’s (I made them in ramekins). The key is to not make any of the layers too thick as this makes the finished product too stodgy.

Chocolate Mousse:

200g quality chocolate (any type you love to eat) broken up

30g butter, in small bits

6 eggs, separated

120ml (1/2 cup) cream, lightly whipped

1tbsp Patron XO Cafe Liqueur (or brandy/Kahlua/Tia Maria, whatever you like)

Melt the chocolate in a metal or glass bowl over warm (not quite boiling) water, stirring regularly. Add the butter and stir to melt in, then remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks. While the chocolate melts, whip the egg whites to soft peak stage.

Working quickly, fold 1/3rd of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold this mix into the remaining whites until nearly combined. Fold in the cream and the liqueur, taking care not to over mix. Pop it in the fridge to set for an hour or so.

Tiramisu: 2 large eggs

60g Icing Sugar

500g mascarpone

100ml Frangelico

100ml Marsala

150ml very strong espresso coffee

Sponge-finger (savoiardi) biscuits, sliced in half.

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in the mascarpone and combine well. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold them through the mixture.

Combine the frangelico, marsala and coffee in a shallow bowl. Dip the sponge fingers briefly into the liquid and arrange in the base of a ramekin. Top with just enough mascarpone mixture to cover the sponge fingers.

Spoon a good dollop of chocolate mousse on next. Dip 2 more halved sponge fingers in the coffee mixture and then press them down into the mousse. Top with another layer of mascarpone, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

To serve, grate some of your favourite chocolate over the top.

Photo credit to: http://www.meb.uni-bonn.de/agBeck/cms/upload/bilder/mitarbeiter/Roland/11515Drink-Coffee-Poster.jpg