Honestly, this dessert deserves the title “Why I Almost Quit Being a Dog Owner,” but I’ll begin at the beginning.
A good friend (who will remain unnamed because she skipped work to spend an afternoon baking with me) and I spent a few hours making this masterpiece. We made the ladyfingers from scratch. The mascarpone cream was made with homemade mascarpone* and eggs from my backyard hens. The blueberry compote came from berries the boys and I picked and froze last August. The orange syrup for soaking the cookies was mixed with equally homemade Grand Marnier*.
*Quick show of hands: would you like to know how to make homemade mascarpone or Grand Marnier? I’ll leave it to you to ask, but I’ll note that you can make about two pounds of mascarpone for roughly $6 and a quart of Grand Marnier for a similar price. Tell me in the comments if you want those recipes.
We assembled the tiramisu, chilled it in the refrigerator, and settled into easy chairs with hot tea to solve the world’s problems—or at least try. Our conversation mostly revolved around whether Kevin Gillespie from Top Chef was as cool as he seemed on TV or even cooler. Verdict: cooler. Definitely cooler.
We tasted dainty portions while the tiramisu “set” in the fridge—though “dainty” is relative, given how much sampling went on during the chilling process—and we ate every bite in pure delight.
After my friend left, I daydreamed about the size of the bowl I would enjoy once the boys were tucked into bed. I had it all planned: a fluffy blanket thrown over my shoulders, curled into the corner of the couch with a generous serving of tiramisu and my copy of Right Ho, Jeeves.
Then the Evil Genius—my husband—came down from his workshop and scooped a large bowl of tiramisu. Because it was bone-chillingly cold, he put the lid on the trifle dish and set it on the porch to stay chilled. That’s when disaster struck. He jumped up, ran to the door, and screamed “HAMBONE!” at the same time I heard the trifle dish skid across the porch floor.
My eighty-five-pound hound—who is not underfed, by any stretch—managed to eat almost the entire tiramisu.
I cannot express how much I wanted to stop being a dog owner in that moment. Well, unless you count the time he devoured a triple batch of my lemon curd…
My evening plans flew out the front door along with a string of choice expletives aimed at the dog.
The next day my mother asked if the dog had any discomfort after consuming such a rich dessert. My reply:
“I sure hope so.”
At least I salvaged a couple of photos to remember the loss by.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe without the dog-related saga or photos, click here for the printer-friendly recipe on the source site.
Blueberry Tiramisu
Ingredients for “The Dunk”:
- 1 clementine or tangerine, washed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
Ingredients for the Mascarpone Cream:
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups)
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Ingredients for the Blueberry Compote:
- 3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- zest of one orange or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Additional:
- 50 ladyfinger cookies, homemade or store-bought
- fresh blueberries and orange zest for garnish (optional)
This recipe isn’t difficult, but working in order streamlines the process. Follow these numbered steps.
1. Make the syrup for the ladyfingers (“the dunk”). Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a full rolling boil. Remove from heat as soon as it boils. Make several deep cuts into the clementine or tangerine—deep enough to release juice but not to break it apart—and submerge it in the syrup. Cover with a tight lid and let steep and cool for 30 minutes. After steeping, remove the fruit, gently squeeze any remaining juice into the syrup, discard the fruit, then stir in the Grand Marnier. Transfer the syrup to the refrigerator to chill completely.
2. Make the blueberry compote. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch (or arrowroot). Toss the mixture with the blueberries and orange zest (or extract) in a medium saucepan. Add the water and heat over medium-low, stirring until the berries release some juice. When the mixture becomes more liquid, increase the heat to medium or medium-high and stir until the berries begin to burst and simmer. Let simmer for about 3 minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and chill until completely cold.
3. Prepare the mascarpone cream. Separate the egg yolks and whites. Place the yolks and 3/4 cup sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Whip on medium-high until the yolks are thick, creamy, and pale yellow. Add all the mascarpone at once and whip on medium-high until combined, about 2 minutes. If you used a stand mixer, transfer the mascarpone mixture to another bowl and refrigerate; if using a hand mixer, place the bowl directly in the refrigerator and move on to the whites.
Important: If you used the stand mixer, wash and dry the bowl and whisk thoroughly before whipping the whites.
Whip the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks—when the whisk is lifted, the peak should curl slightly. With the mixer still running on high, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue whipping for one minute. Stop to scrape down the bowl, then beat until firm, glossy peaks form.
Fold about one-third of the beaten whites into the mascarpone mixture with a whisk to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a rubber or silicone spatula. To fold, imagine the bowl as a clock: insert the spatula blade-down into the center, pull toward six o’clock, scrape along the bowl edge, turn the spatula up at a 45-degree angle, lift, fold the mixture over, rotate the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until no white streaks remain. You should have a smooth, airy mascarpone cream. Cover lightly and refrigerate until ready, but no longer than an hour.
4. Assemble the tiramisu. Quickly dip each ladyfinger, one at a time, into the chilled syrup and count to two. Lift for an extra two-count so excess syrup drips off, then arrange the cookies snugly across the bottom of a trifle dish or serving dish. Spoon about one-quarter of the blueberry compote over the ladyfingers and spread to the edges. Top with one-quarter of the mascarpone cream and smooth to the edges. Repeat the layers—dunked ladyfingers, blueberry compote, mascarpone cream—until you run out of ingredients or space. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
5. Serve and enjoy. Spoon into bowls and enjoy as-is, or garnish with fresh blueberries and orange zest if desired.