Recipe: Italian Tiramisù

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup water

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon sweet Marsala wine (+) 2 tablespoons for the espresso mixture.

4 ounces cream cheese

6 ounces mascarpone cheese

8 ounces heavy whipping cream, whipped

2 cups espresso or strong coffee

1 ounce dark rum

2 tablespoons sugar

24 French-style ladyfingers

2 tablespoons powdered sweetened cocoa mix

2 tablespoons grated semi sweet chocolate

Cream Mixture: Cook sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of between 234° and 240°F on a candy thermometer, this is the soft-ball stage. At the same time, in an electric mixer, prepare egg mixture by whipping the egg yolks on high speed until pale yellow and thick, then slowly pour in the sugar syrup while mixing on high until the mixture is light and fluffy, Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With mixer on medium speed, add cream cheese and whip until smooth. Add mascarpone and Marsala. Mix until incorporated. Fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate.
Espresso Mixture: To prepare espresso mixture, combine espresso, additional Marsala, dark rum and sugar. Heat to 140 degrees F. then let it cool completely before using it.
To assemble, dip ladyfingers in espresso mixture. Place one layer of dipped ladyfingers on bottom of serving platter. Top with one layer of cream mixture. Add another layer of dipped ladyfingers, topped with a second layer of cream mixture. Sift cocoa over top.
Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Sprinkle with grated chocolate.