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Italian · Treviso

Tiramisù — The Original Venetian Technique

Tiramisù — the most contested dessert in Italian regional cooking — originated in the 1960s at the restaurant Le Beccherie in Treviso. The technique: savoiardi (ladyfinger biscuits) dipped briefly in espresso and Marsala, layered with a cream of egg yolks beaten with sugar, then folded with mascarpone, all topped with cocoa. The key word is 'briefly' — the savoiardi should absorb enough coffee to soften without becoming sodden. The mascarpone cream must be light, not dense.

Serves6
Total480 min (plus chilling)
Sourced0of 8 in BC
Cook
I

The Market List

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6
large egg yolks
room temperature
Your own market
150 g
caster sugar
Your own market
240 ml
Marsala wine
aged, 17% ABV
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
500 ml
heavy cream
36% fat, well-chilled
Your own market
40 pieces
Savoiardi ladyfinger biscuits
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
120 ml
espresso
freshly brewed, cooled to room temperature
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
coffee liqueur
Kahlúa or equivalent
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
15 g
Dutch-process cocoa powder
for dusting
Your own market
II

The Method

1
Whisk egg yolks with caster sugar in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until pale, thick, and reaching 65°C (13 minutes), whisking constantly.
2
Remove from heat and whisk in Marsala wine, then cool to room temperature (8 minutes), whisking occasionally.
From the canon — Marsala is Sicily's great fortified wine—a complex, amber-to-mahogany wine produced in the province of Trapani, around the city of Marsala, using a solera-st… Marsala →
3
In a separate chilled bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks using an electric mixer.
4
Fold cooled Marsala mixture into whipped cream in two additions until no streaks remain.
5
Combine cooled espresso with coffee liqueur in a shallow dish.
6
Dip each Savoiardi briefly (1 second per side) into espresso mixture and arrange in a single layer across the base of a 20 × 30 cm dish.
7
Spread half the Marsala cream evenly over the first layer; repeat with a second layer of dipped Savoiardi and remaining cream.
8
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours; dust with cocoa powder immediately before serving.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where tiramisu lives or dies is the fold. The zabaione-mascarpone mixture and the stiff egg whites must be combined with a light hand — a flat spatula in wide, sweeping arcs that cut down through the middle and fold over. Ten strokes maximum. Streaks of white in the cream are acceptable; over-folded tiramisu loses its aeration and collapses to a heavy cream. Dust with Valrhona cocoa powder applied through a fine sieve — not drinking chocolate, which is sweetened and lacks intensity.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Bera Asti Spumante DOCG
Bera · Asti DOCG
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Sparkling wine
From British Columbia

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Without alcohol

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The whole pairing
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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