There’s something to be said for a dessert that requires no oven, rolling pin or hunting for exotic ingredients.
When it comes to a pudding that is simple, delicious and a real crowd pleaser, tiramisu is the queen.
As part of our Waste Not initiative, we’re always looking for interesting ways to transform leftover bread into something new and delicious.
Our tiramisu recipe is made with leftover sourdough bread, cut into slim fingers to replicate the traditional sponge fingers. Sourdough lends a slightly chewy texture, depth of flavour and sour notes from long fermentation that balance the sweetness of the cream and the bitter notes of the coffee whilst soaking up perfectly along with the alcohol, for a modern yet sustainable twist to this beloved Italian dessert.
A short yet much contested history of tiramisu
Tiramisu comes from the Italian ‘tirami su’ which translates to ‘pick me up’ – thanks to the espresso coffee in this much-loved Italian dessert. A perfect one stop shop end to a meal: alcohol, dessert and coffee.
Also known as ‘Tuscan Trifle’ or ‘Duke’s Soup’, there has been some dispute and controversy as to when and where tiramisu was first originated. Whilst there are claims that it was created to honour the visit of Grand Duke Cosimo III de Medici to Siena or invented as an aphrodisiac in 19th century Treviso, it is widely accepted that the tiramisu we know and love today hails from the late sixties.
Made quite by accident in Veneto by a local restauranteur, the original recipe consisted of sponge fingers dipped in coffee, mascarpone, egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa powder. Originally more of a custard than a cake, the layered version of today is the result of many variations and additions (such as alcohol, cream and chocolate) that were created as the dessert grew in popularity across Italy and eventually led to tiramisu ‘jumping the pond’ to New York in the early 1980s.
A modern twist
Traditionally, tiramisu is made with raw eggs. However, for this recipe, we’ve taken inspiration from our patisserie friends and pasteurised the eggs by creating a pâte à bombe and Italian meringue – offering a more stable dessert and removing any rawness.
A pâte à bombe is used as a base in lighter, creamier desserts and consists of whipping egg yolks and then adding a syrup made of water and sugar cooked at 115-120°C.
Often referred to as the sister of the Italian meringue, it is made in a very similar way - only instead of using egg whites, you use the yolks.
Rich yet light and creamy in consistency, the high air content makes for a very light base - perfect for desserts such as mousse, parfait and, of course, tiramisu.
The chocolate or cocoa powder debate
Another hotly contested topic around tiramisu is the use of chocolate alongside the cocoa powder. Traditionalists might grumble at the use of grated chocolate but adding a sprinkling of rich dark chocolate on top of this decadent pudding adds a certain “non so che” (as the Italians like to say).
Sourdough fingers…
In the spirit of wasting less, we’ve used leftover sourdough bread in this recipe instead of the traditional sponge fingers. You can use any bread other than white sliced bread. We’ve opted for our house Sourdough in this recipe but our San Francisco Sourdough or Brown Sourdough would work just as well. Just make sure to cut your slices thinly (around 1cm) and cut off any crusts (which can be turned into breadcrumbs). You want the ‘fingers’ to be stale to allow them to soak up the coffee and alcohol mixture. If you’re working with fresher, doughy bread, then simply dry it out in the oven at a low temperature (90-110C) for around 20 minutes or so – you don’t want any colouring and the bread shouldn’t be toasted.
Contested origin stories, chocolate debates and egg methodology might sound like a lot of drama for such a simple dessert. We promise this recipe is worthy of a standing ovation (and plenty of second helpings).
Waste Not Tiramisu Recipe
Ingredients
4 large eggs, separated into eggs and yolks
180g sugar
80ml water
450g mascarpone
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract (or half a vanilla pod)
½- ¾ loaf of stale bread, sliced into 1cm fingers with crusts removed (save the crusts to make your own breadcrumbs)
25ml Tia Maria
25ml dark rum
25ml Marsala wine
100ml strong coffee (for an alcohol-free version, omit all alcohol and mix 2 tbsp of demerara sugar with coffee)
Cocoa powder
Dark chocolate, for decorating
Method
- In a medium size bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale and double in volume (this should take about 5 minutes). Leave to one side.
- Next, add half the sugar and half the water to a saucepan and heat until it reaches 115°C.
- Add the whisked egg yolks to a food processor then slowly pour the syrup into the egg yolks with the mixer on high speed. You should aim to pour as close to the centre of the mixer as possible.
- Continue mixing on high until the side of the mixer has cooled to room temperature – you now have a pâte à bombe.
- Fold the mascarpone into the pâte à bombe ensuring no lumps of cheese remain. Remove the mixture from the mixer and set to one side.
- Give your mixer bowl a rinse, wipe with kitchen towel with a splash of vinegar and dry thoroughly.
- Add the egg whites to the mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. As soon as the peaks start to form, stop mixing.
- With the remaining sugar and water, make a second syrup and repeat the process of slowly pouring the syrup into the mixer on high speed. Once all the syrup has been added, turn the mixer down to a medium speed and mix until the side of the bowl has cooled to the touch.
- Add a dollop of the egg white to the mascarpone mix and fold in to loosen. Gently fold through the rest of the egg white in until you have a smooth, light consistency. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- In another bowl, mix the coffee and alcohol together.
- Once your mascarpone mixture is ready, cut the bread slices into fingers, dip briefly into the coffee mix and arrange in a layer in your chosen dish.
- Cover with a third of the mascarpone mixture and dust with cocoa powder.
- Repeat this process for two more layers and then spread any remaining mascarpone mixture across the top.
- Dust with more cocoa powder, grate or microplane the chocolate over the top and then refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight for the flavours to fully sink in.
