Recipes

Name: Marsala Zabaglione Tiramisù
Total time: 1528 min
Yield: 10–12 servings
Ingredients: 400 ml strong espresso or moka coffee (medium-dark or Italian roast arabica, not filter or instant); 15 g caster sugar (just enough to round the bitterness); 40 ml dark rum (or cognac); 6 large egg yolks (about 110 g); 130 g caster sugar (drop to 110 g for a less sweet crema); 60 ml dry Marsala (Marsala Superiore secco, not sweet Marsala); ¼ tsp fine sea salt; 500 g mascarpone, fridge-cold, with any whey poured off (minimum 45% fat); 150 ml cold double cream (35% fat or higher); 290 g savoiardi (about 28 to 30 dry Italian ladyfingers, not soft sponge fingers); 15 g Dutch-process cocoa (dutched rather than natural, so it does not fight the coffee); 30 g finely grated 70% dark chocolate (between the layers, for texture) (optional)

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Marsala Zabaglione Tiramisù

Cooked Marsala zabaglione folded into mascarpone, espresso-soaked savoiardi, rested a full day.

Serves: 10–12
Prep: 1 hr 10 mins
Cook: 24 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients

Coffee soak

Strong espresso or moka coffee400 ml
medium-dark or Italian roast arabica, not filter or instant
Caster sugar15 g
just enough to round the bitterness
Dark rum40 ml
or cognac

Crema

Egg yolks6 large
about 110 g
Caster sugar130 g
drop to 110 g for a less sweet crema
Dry Marsala60 ml
Marsala Superiore secco, not sweet Marsala
Fine sea salt¼ tsp
Mascarpone, fridge-cold, with any whey poured off500 g
minimum 45% fat
Cold double cream150 ml
35% fat or higher

Savoiardi

Savoiardi290 g
about 28 to 30 dry Italian ladyfingers, not soft sponge fingers

Dusting

Dutch-process cocoa15 g
dutched rather than natural, so it does not fight the coffee
Finely grated 70% dark chocolate30 g
Optional · between the layers, for texture

Instructions

Coffee soak25 mins

1Brew and sweeten5 mins

Brew strong espresso or moka coffee (400 ml) strong and pour it into a wide shallow bowl.
Stir in caster sugar (15 g) while it is still hot.

2Cool, then add the rum20 mins

Leave the coffee to cool completely, which takes about 20 minutes in a wide bowl.
Stir in dark rum (40 ml) once it has dropped below 40°C (fan 20°C).

Crema28 mins

1Cook the zabaglione10 mins

Set a heatproof bowl over a pan holding 3 cm of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water.
Whisk egg yolks (6 large), caster sugar (130 g), fine sea salt (¼ tsp) and dry Marsala (60 ml) together in the bowl and keep whisking without stopping.
Cook until the mixture has roughly tripled and reads 80°C (fan 60°C) on a probe thermometer, which takes 8 to 10 minutes.
Take it off the heat as soon as it falls from the whisk in a ribbon that sits on the surface for a beat.

2Whip it cold8 mins

Scrape the zabaglione into a stand mixer and whip on medium-high for 5 to 8 minutes.
Stop when it is pale, mousse-thick and no longer warm against the back of your hand, around 25°C (fan 5°C).

3Fold in the mascarpone5 mins

Beat mascarpone (500 g) on the lowest speed for 30 to 45 seconds, just until smooth.
Slacken it with a third of the cooled zabaglione, still on the lowest speed.
Fold in the rest by hand in two additions, cutting down through the middle and lifting from the bottom.

4Fold in the cream5 mins

Whip cold double cream (150 ml) to soft peaks, the point at which it slumps as the whisk lifts.
Fold it into the mascarpone base in two additions and stop as soon as it is homogeneous.

Savoiardi & Dusting24 hrs 35 mins

1Build the layers15 mins

Smear two tablespoons of crema across the base of a 20 cm by 25 cm dish.
Divide the cooled coffee between two shallow bowls, so the second layer is not dipped into biscuit crumbs.
Dip half the savoiardi (290 g) flat for one second a side and lay them in the dish, breaking pieces to fill the edges.
Spread over half the crema, about 1½ cm deep, and sift a light dusting of Dutch-process cocoa (15 g) across it with finely grated 70% dark chocolate (30 g).
Dip and lay the remaining savoiardi at ninety degrees to the first layer, cover with the rest of the crema and smooth it flat.

2Chill overnight24 hrs

Cover the dish and refrigerate for a full 24 hours.
Leave the top bare for now, because cocoa dusted this early draws moisture out of the crema and goes blotchy.

3Dust and serve20 mins

Take the tiramisù out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving, so the fat softens and the aromas open.
Sift the remaining cocoa over the top just before it goes to the table.
Cut with a hot dry knife, wiping the blade between slices.

Tips & Notes

Why 80 C: Sugar and Marsala push the yolks' curdling point from about 65 C to past 85 C, so the eggs pasteurise fully without scrambling. If you would rather not sail that close, hold them at 72°C (fan 52°C) for a full minute instead.
Split mascarpone: Warm mascarpone, over-beating, or a zabaglione that went in still hot will all break the crema into grains. Caught at the first fine grain, a tablespoon of cold cream whisked in by hand can sometimes pull it back.
One second a side: Savoiardi are capillary sponges and hold far more than they need, so the puddle under the dish is almost always over-dipping. Warm coffee does the same damage faster, which is why the soak must be completely cold.
Without alcohol: Replace the Marsala with 60 ml of strong coffee and leave the rum out of the soak. You lose aromatic reach, not structure.
Make ahead: It keeps three days covered in the fridge, softening a little each day, and freezes well. Thaw overnight in the fridge and dust at the table.