Gelato. Cannoli. Biscotti. When you think of Italian treats, where does your mind wander? All of these sweet bites are contenders, for sure. But I would bet that the Italian dessert most “ooo’d” and “aahhh’d” over is tiramisu. That beautiful, layered dish with lady fingers, espresso, creamy Marscapone, and of course, chocolate. It’s decadent. It’s luscious. And it’s pretty much the expected finale of a good Italian meal.
So with the final installment of last week’s Italian Wine Dinner menu, I just had to go with this classic. But how to change up this well-known recipe, yet still pay homage to the traditional ingredients? After a cooking class in the heart of Tuscany with the delightful Stefania Balducci, I had a revelation–I could change the ingredients at whim and create new delights without disappointing the expectations of this dish! This is a result of that experiment.
Full disclosure here: I am not normally a big dessert person. I mean, I like them and all, but I’m the person who is more inclined to add a little more salty/crunchy/carb-y to my plate instead of making room for dessert. However, anything with fruit or citrus automatically gets a second look from me. So when the thought of replacing a couple ingredients with a citrus element smacked me in the head, I went with it. And add to it that it’s really more of an “adult dessert” because of the wine in it, I promise you this is the perfect ending to your Italian Wine dinner.
As for the wine pairing, the recipe calls for use of a Vin Santo dessert wine. Now don’t think that this is a super sweet wine–it’s got a bite to it, but in a smooth, rich manner (I know that may not make sense, but trust me on this). Since it’s in the dessert, it stands to reason that a small apperitif of the same wine served along with the tiramisu is the perfect pairing. As with my earlier recommendations from one particular winery in Tuscany, I use the Vin Santo Dolce Arianna. However, if you can’t find that particular wine, ask your wine shop for a recommendation. Let them know what you will be using it for, and they can guide you to one that fits both the needs of the recipe and for drinking as well.
Salute!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 12 people | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time |
| 1 hour |
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I love the combination of the citrus and the Vin Santo wine in this version of a classic. While it's clearly not for the little ones, as an "adult" version of an Italian sweet treat, it's a winner in my book. The Mascarpone mixture will make a lot, which means you will have extra to dollop on waffles or french toast the next morning, or use to layer in a mini trifle with crispy biscotti cookies. Delicioso in whichever way you choose to use it up!
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- 6 large eggs
- 8 tbsp. sugar
- 2 8 oz. containers Mascarpone cheese
- 2 12 piece packages of lady fingers
- Vin Santo wine (for dipping lady fingers)
- 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon zest, divided
- Assemble ingredients so that you don't have to go hunting for items as you begin to put the dessert together.
- Using mixer, combine eggs and sugar until incorporated.
- After eggs & sugar are combined, make sure no lumps of sugar remain. Mixture should be smooth.
- Add Mascarpone cheese to mixture.
- Mix on low speed until fully incorporated, again making sure there are no lumps in the mixture.
- Zest one lemon into mixture. Fold zest into batter until fully incorporated. Set bowl aside while you assemble the ladyfingers.
- Use 8 small individual serving bowls for a half batch, or one large 8x8 pan if serving a full batch. For the smaller bowls, break lady fingers in half so that they will fit in each bowl.
- Pour 1/4 inch of Vin Santo wine into a shallow bowl. You will need to refill the dish as you determine the amount needed for each lady finger.
- Quickly run each lady finger through the wine, making sure that the lady fingers aren't completely absorbed with wine. It will continue to permeate the delicate cookies as the dessert sets, so you don't want to overdo it and wind up with soggy bites in the dessert.
- Drizzle citrus Mascarpone batter over lady fingers, nearly covering the top of the dessert bowl or pan.
- Zest the other half a lemon over the completed dessert. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours. Serve with small glass of Vin Santo wine as a perfect pairing.
Even as this version uses lemon zest, you could try other citrus in this as well. I'm sure that orange or lime would work well, too. Don't have a zester? I use an inexpensive yet durable one from Microplane.
Another use for the left over Mascarpone cream is to build what I call a "poor man's tiramisu". Using vanilla wafers, layer them in an 8x8 dish and top with the remaining cream, zest, and crumbled vanilla wafers. This is a fun, kid-friendly version as well, and is a great surprise of flavors and textures when you show up with it at a potluck. Enjoy!
I love both tiramisu and lemons this sounds amazing.
I am up for anything named “tiramisu” as it’s my favorite dessert. I love that you added a lemon twist in place of the traditional espresso flavor.
We are big tiramisu lovers and I love your creative spin on a classic!
I love your lemon twist!
I love this recipe and tried it with great seusccs; additional hint: in order to get the classic hint of almond flavour (normally from the Amaretto) I recommend to use almond-syrup instead of the sugar and beat it into the egg-mascarpone mass. but my friend put the alond syrup with the coffee to soak the bisquits and that was really nice too, so I just wanted to share this: try it either way, it’s great & thanks again for the great recipe !
I especially like seeing your poorman’s version. It’s perfect for a last-second dessert. I make a lemon raspberry tiramisu that has some things in common with yours, but is surprisingly different (http://www.dirtylaundrykitchen.com/lemon-raspberry-tiramisu/) I’m very curious about the wine you’ve selected and plan to track it down for sure. p.s. I made your meatballs last night. They were great. I never include stock in my sauce but I thought it was a great addition with the meatballs.
The poor man’s version happened on a whim, and it turned out so good that I had to put it in the recipe file. Your tiramisu recipe looks fantastic! I’ll have to try that one next time!
As for the wine, I’d never had it before we went to Italy, and now I’m hooked. It’s so different from many of the other “dessert wines” out there.
And I’m so glad you liked the meatballs! They’re a little bit addictive. I could eat them every day!
I am all about the gelato. But I will gladly dive into tiramisu any day of the week as well. This looks killer!