I usually make this in the summertime when we have loads of soft fruit; although I often think that the imported winter raspberries are nearly as good, so it’s become a year-round favourite of ours.
CAUTION: This recipe contains uncooked eggs, please see NOTE 2 at the bottom of the recipe for an alternative which tastes almost as good.
I love this dessert served really, really cold – if I’m lucky enough to have any leftovers (rarely!) I may be found having a spoonful straight from the fridge early the next morning!
It is such a simple thing to do, adding some soft fruit to a Tiramisu mix, but the difference is amazing. Obviously, when you don’t have raspberries, the tiramisu stands by itself. It is still one of my dinner party guest all-time favourites.
EQUIPMENT:
- 2 large bowls
- electric beater
- large lasagne dish or similar. Mine is about 20x20cm
- wooden spoon
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large eggs separated
- 1 tub of Mascarpone cheese (250g)
- 30-40g dark high cocoa solid chocolate, finely chopped or grated
- 250mls very strong coffee or espresso, with 2 generous tablespoons of rum or brandy added
- 1 packet of ‘lady-finger’ biscuits
- 6oz caster sugar
- A punnet of raspberries
METHOD:
- Put the eggs yolks and sugar into one bowl, and the egg whites into the other.
- Beat the eggs whites with the electric beater until stiff
- Then beat the yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy (if you do the egg white first, you don’t have to clean the beaters later on – that called lazy-woman cooking!)
- Add the Mascarpone into the egg yolk mixture, beat in well until no lumps remain, then add the egg whites and fold together until fully combined, using gentle movements to avoid losing too much air.
- Pour the coffee/rum mixture into a shallow dish
- Dip the ladyfingers, briefly into the coffee. Turn them over quickly, and remove to the serving dish.
I get impatient dipping the biscuits individually, so I tend to throw in a handful and take them out almost immediately – be sure not to let them get too wet..
- It’s quite important that the biscuits should not be soaked right through, as this will leave a puddle of coffee at the bottom of the dish. Also, if they get too wet, they will fall apart, so dunk them quickly on both sides, and remove them almost immediately.
- Continue with the ladyfingers until you have used up half the packet, and there is a single layer over the bottom of the dish
- Put half the Mascarpone mixture over the biscuits in an even layer
- Sprinkle over 2/3rds of the raspberries
- Sprinkle over most of the chocolate
- Dunk the remaining biscuits, and layer up, finishing with the last of the Mascarpone mixture on top.
The delicious surprise lies within!
- Sprinkle over the last of the chocolate
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight, or for as long as you can.
- When you’re ready to serve, remove the cling film, and decorate with a few more raspberries if you like – I personally like that element of surprise when my guests discover the raspberries..
NOTES:
- Don’t forget that this dessert contains raw eggs, so be careful with expectant Mums, people with egg allergies, and people who are immune suppressed.
- If you don’t want to use uncooked eggs (trust me, there is absolutely no egg taste) I would suggest using a couple of tubs of top quality ready-made custard – the end result won’t be as light, but it will taste almost the same.
- Always use the best and freshest eggs that you can find.
- I have used reduced-fat Mascarpone with no visible reduction in the quality of this dessert.
In-season Raspberries – delicious!
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx