Chai spiced tiramisu *
This is a delightful variation on a favourite recipe and making it requires very little skill, although it does take a bit of time. My daughter recently did a three month stint in Denmark for work, and upon being asked what she wanted for a special welcoming supper, her only request was for this, regardless of what else was on the menu. So we made a leg of lamb with mustard mash and seasonal veg, with chai tiramisu to follow.
(Serves 12)
Chai Spice Blend
· 2 whole star anise
· 1 cinnamon stick
· 5 cardamom pods
· 2 black peppercorns
Filling
· 3/4 cups whipping cream
· 1 cup mascarpone cheese
· ½ T pure natural vanilla
· 1/3 cup sugar
· 1T coffee liqueur
· 1 t chai spice blend
Assembly
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 cup water
· 1 T chai spice blend
· 1 t pure natural vanilla
· 2 packages of savoiardi biscuits (or lady fingers, if you wish)
· 1/2 cup whipping cream
· cocoa for dusting
· One glass (or more to taste) of slightly chilled red wine
Directions
For the spice blend: break up the cinnamon stick in a spice grinder (or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices) - or if you have been skipping your gym sessions lately, with a mortar and pestle. Add the remaining spices and grind into a powder.
For the filling: Whip the cream into medium to stiff peaks - this is key: If the cream is not whipped stiffly enough, the tiramisu will flop all over the place, and remember, the cream will lose some of it's stiffness when the vanilla and coffee liqueur mixture is added. Add the vanilla and chill until ready to use. Beat the mascarpone with the sugar until smooth. Stir in the spice blend and coffee liqueur. Fold in the whipped cream and chill until ready to assemble the masterpiece.
For the assembly: Take a sip of the wine. Heat the water, sugar and chai spice blend until the sugar is dissolved, taking regular sips of red wine to sustain yourself during the ordeal. Stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat, takings a sip of wine to refresh yourself after these endeavours. Dip the savoiardi biscuits in the syrup one by one and line an 8" dish with a first layer of the biscuits, remembering to regularly fortify yourself with a sip of wine. Spoon filling over the wafers evenly and continuing with another layer of savoiardi and filling until all of the filling is used, remembering still to regularly fortify yourself with visits to the wine glass. I opted to top of the dish with the wafers, as you can then invert the dish over a serving plate and remove the tiramisu from the dish. When ready to serve, top with whipping cream (I chose not to sweeten my cream – the tiramisu is heavenly rich as it is) and a dusting of cocoa.
* According to Larousse (Gastronomique), tiramisu was invented in the latter half of the twentieth century.