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Being a classic Italian dessert, this “pick me up” (that is the literal translation from Italian) is a crowd pleaser and everyone will have a strong idea about how they like their tiramisu. 

The basics are the same — mascarpone cheese, eggs, espresso-soaked ladyfingers (made from scratch or using the traditional Savoiardi biscuits) and a dusting of cocoa powder are the staple ingredients for this delectable treat. It's such a popular dish, that International Tiramisu Day is celebrated on March 21, and it's spawned dessert competitions just for tiramisu alone.

Chef Jürgen's version utilizes a sabayon method for cooking the eggs (hello, food safety!) and a more sophisticated touch by using Marsala in the recipe. Instead of a rustic, homestyle approach, this version is made as individual servings — you are special and deserve your own small serving, no sharing necessary.

Recipe

Tiramisu Recipe by Chef Jürgen

Yields 6 3-inch servings

Ingredients

For the Ladyfingers:

• 4 eggs, separated 
• 100 grams granulated sugar 
• 100 grams cake flour 
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

For the Soaking Syrup:

• 150 ml espresso 
• 10 ml rum 
• 10 ml Amaretto
• 25 ml orange juice
• 3 ml vanilla extract'

For the Tiramisu:

• 175 milliliters heavy cream 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 75 grams granulated sugar 
• 25 milliliters water
• 50 milliliters Marsala wine
• 1.5 sheets gelatin, bloomed in cold water 
• 250 grams mascarpone
• Ladyfinger biscuits (from recipe)
• Soaking syrup (from recipe)
• Cocoa powder, for dusting

For the Chocolate Sauce:

• 150 gram bittersweet chocolate
• 125 milliliters milk
• 75 milliliters heavy cream 
• 15 grams butter
• 75 grams granulated sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 5 milliliters coffee extract

For the Chocolate Decoration: 

• 2 ounces (57 grams) bittersweet chocolate, melted
• Ice cubes, as needed

For Plating:

• Cocoa powder, for dusting
• Chocolate sauce (from recipe)
• 4 ounces heavy cream, whipped
• Chocolate decoration (from recipe)

Special equipment:

• #3 plain piping tip
• 1 3-inch round cookie cutter
• 4 3-inch round entremet rings, 1-inch high
• Stem thermometer
   

Directions

For the Ladyfingers:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Make a French meringue by whipping the egg whites and the sugar together in a stand mixer, adding a little bit of sugar at a time, until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Whisk the egg yolks lightly and fold into the meringue.
4. Sift the flour over the meringue mixture, a third at a time, and fold in. 
5. Using a pastry bag fitted with a round #3 tip, pipe batter in rows on a parchment-lined 1/2 sheet pan. 
6. Sprinkle the batter with powdered sugar.
7. Bake at until light brown, about 5-7 minutes.
8. Let cool completely before assembling tiramisu.
9. When ready to assemble, release each cake from the parchment paper and cut the cake into 3-inch disks.

For the Soaking Syrup:

1. Combine espresso with the rum, amaretto, orange juice and vanilla extract.
2. Set aside until ready for assembly.

For the Tiramisu:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream and then set it in the refrigerator to chill. 
2. Set up individual rings on a parchment-lined sheet pan. 
3. Lightly brush the ladyfingers with the espresso syrup. 
4. Over a double boiler, make a sabayon with the egg yolks, sugar, water and Marsala wine. The mixture should read 145°F before removing from heat. 
5. Add the bloomed gelatin to the sabayon. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the mixture until cool and thickened, about 7-10 minutes. 
6. Place the mascarpone in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir the sabayon into the mascarpone until the mixture is smooth. 
7. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. 
8. Line rings with the first layer of biscuit sponge. 
9. Fill the piping bag fitted with the plain pastry tip with the mascarpone mixture. 
10. Pipe the mascarpone mousse onto the biscuit and repeat until you have 3 layers of ladyfingers and 3 layers of mousse. Level out the rings with tiramisu, so the tops are flat.
11. Chill the tiramisu in the refrigerator until firm, 1-2 hours.
12. Before serving, dust with cocoa powder and remove rings for plating.

For the Chocolate Sauce:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium work bowl.
2. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. 
3. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate. With a whisk, stir until the chocolate is melted. 
4. In a separate saucepan, bring the cream, butter and sugar to a boil. 
5. Pour the ganache into the separate saucepan and stir constantly until it comes to a boil. 
6. Add salt and coffee extract. Stir to combine.  
7. Store the sauce in a bain-marie until ready to use.

For the Chocolate Decoration: 

1. Place chocolate in a microwave oven-safe bowl.
2. In 20-second increments, melt chocolate to 85°F, stirring at every interval.
3. Place ice cubes in a medium-sized bowl and cover with cold water.
4. Using a paper cornet, pipe small designs of your choice onto the ice water surface. 
5. Using a small offset spatula, lift hardened designs from the water. 
6. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

For Plating:

1. Remove rings from tiramisu and dust the top of each with cocoa powder. 
2. Create a chocolate sauce design on the plate and position tiramisu as desired.
3. Pipe whipped cream (or make quenelles) onto tiramisu.
4. Finish with chocolate décor on top.