Cooking With Mama Cozz- Episode 2 Tiramisu

Posted by john cozzarelli on

In episode one we really pushed the limits of creativity by making shrimp scampi in a coffee pot. For episode two we thought it would be in the best interest to take a more traditional approach. Here is Mama Cozz’s decadent Tiramisu.

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert, whose name translates to “pick me up”. It is something between a cake and a bread pudding depending on who makes it. Sometimes it’s coffee flavor-forward sometimes it’s a rum flavor forward.

This recipe was inspired by a trip to Italy my mother took. While there she attended a cooking class in the Tuscany countryside. My mother and her friends danced around sipping wine while their instructor Carmella taught them her recipe.

Traditional tiramisu is made with stove top espresso, however, for this recipe, we gave it a modern twist with cold brew. The cold brew was made in a French press using the Guatemalan Huehuetenango beans steeped for 24 hours. The cold brew allows for a richer flavor while omitting some of that bitter bite stove top espresso brings.

Recipe
Eggs
Heavy Cream
Sugar
Mascarpone cheese
Vanilla Extract
Lady Fingers
Cold Brew
Kahlua
Cocoa Powder

Cold Brew
– Coarsely ground a coffee of your choice, for this we used a traditional washed coffee with caramel flavor notes.

– Pour into french press then add COLD WATER. (Depending on the size of your french press your quantity of coffee will vary however the golden ration is for every one gram of coffee allow 17 grams of water)

– Steep for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 36. 24 hours will greet you with a deliciously thick, low acidic iced coffee concentrate reminiscent of chocolate milk.

Fillings
– In two bowls separate the egg yolks from the whites.

– Add one cup of sugar to yolks and whisk on low flame until custard-like filling forms. Incorporate mascarpone cheese until melted and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

– Take egg whites and add vanilla extract and whip them with a hand mixer until soft peaks have formed

– Finally use a hand mixer to whip heavy cream until you have whipped cream.

Fold all fillings together in one big bowl, incorporating 2 tablespoons of Kahlua and 2 tablespoons of cold brew.

Assembly

– Dip ladyfingers in the remaining cold brew a then layout in rows.
– Spread a layer of fillings atop and repeat both steps until your vessel is filled to the brim.
 – Sprinkle cocoa powder atop and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours.

ENJOY!