Tiramisu Recipe

Brew 1 cup strong espresso. If the espresso is extremely strong or concentrated, add up to 1/4 cup hot water to reach about 1 to 1¼ cups of liquid. Stir in the Kahlúa and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional) until dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a shallow wide bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

Taste the soak and adjust: it should be bold but not overly sweet. Chill briefly if the mixture is still warm before dipping ladyfingers.

Cooked egg yolk sabayon (for food safety and silkiness)

Set a medium heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie), making sure the bowl bottom does not touch the water. In the bowl whisk together 4 large egg yolks and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth.

Whisk the egg-sugar mixture constantly over the simmering water for 6–8 minutes until the mixture thickens, becomes pale and ribbon-like, and registers 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, loosen 16 oz mascarpone cheese by beating it gently with the vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp salt until smooth and lump-free. Do not overmix to avoid breaking the cheese.

Fold about one-third of the warm (not hot) sabayon into the mascarpone to lighten it, then fold in the remaining sabayon until fully combined and smooth. Chill for 10 minutes if the mixture is warm.

In a cold bowl, whip 3/4 cup cold heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone-sabayon mixture in two additions, keeping the mixture airy. Do not overfold; stop when uniformly combined and slightly billowy.

Prepare a 9x9-inch (or similar) dish or individual serving glasses. Have the bowl of coffee soak and the ladyfingers ready. Quickly dip each ladyfinger into the coffee soak for 1–2 seconds per side — do not soak; they should be moist but still hold their shape. Place a single layer of dipped ladyfingers in the bottom of the dish, trimming to fit if necessary (use about half the cookies for the first layer).

Spread half of the mascarpone filling evenly over the first layer of ladyfingers, smoothing with an offset spatula to about 1/2-inch thickness.

Repeat with a second layer of quickly dipped ladyfingers, pressing gently to level, then spread the remaining mascarpone filling on top and smooth the surface.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight (8–24 hours) to allow flavors to meld and the dessert to firm up.

Just before serving, sift 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder evenly over the top of the tiramisu. Finish with 1 oz finely grated dark chocolate and optional 1/2 oz chocolate curls or shavings for extra texture.

Slice or spoon into portions. Serve chilled. Leftovers can be refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days.