Tiramisu - My Way

Tiramisu is a modern dessert (like pannacotta) and hails from the watery city of Venezia It was invented circa 1950, around the same time as carpaccio, which is also a Venetian creation
I don’t do much pastry and cake baking these days. I hate sticky fingers and flour all over my kitchen. But I used my own cream cheese in this dessert and that makes me feel competent enough! See ricotta-esque for my recipe and substitute cream (35% milk fat) for half the milk. You will also need more acidulant and the cheese will need to drain over night. If cheeses making isn’t your thing, then substitute ricotta mixed with marscapone.
I could not help myself from putting a twist on the original recipe. Orange and coffee, surprisingly, make a fabulous combination. And after grinding my own cocoa nibs for the first time, I will never go back to using cocoa powder. If you can get the cocoa nibs, use them. The dark aromatic powder will lift your tiramisu to divinity.


Ingredient
4 eggs (free range please), separated
5 tbsp pure icing sugar
600g fresh cream cheese, preferably homemade (see above)
or
300g ricotta mixed with 300g marscapone
Zest 1 orange, finely grated
Juice ½ orange
250ml strong espresso coffee, cooled
60ml brandy or Ameretto di Saranno
Italian savoiardi biscuits (how many will depend on how large your dish is)
Cocoa nibs, finely ground to a powder (use the coffee grinder)

Method.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and the icing sugar, until pale and creamy. It will take about 4 minutes with a wire whisk.
Mix in the cream cheese and orange zest.
Beat the egg whites separately until stiff. Mix the egg white into the cheese mixture. Finally add the orange juice.
Combine the brandy or Amaretto with the coffee.
Dip the savoiardi into the coffee mixture. Actually, more precisely drench them. You want them soft, but still retaining their form. Use as many as you need to line a serving dish. Mine is 25cm long and 5 cm high.
Pour over more of the coffee mix to make sure the biscuits are well soaked.
Sprinkle over some chocolate powder.
Spread half the cheese and orange mixture over the savoiardi biscuits.
Add another layer of soaked biscuits and coffee, then finish with a layer of cheese mixture.
Refrigerate over night.
When you are ready to eat, sprinkle the top with chocolate powder.
Enough for about 8 serves. PS Happy Birthday Mikey.