Tiramisu eggnog trifle
A belated post on the dessert from our British holiday party. I've had my eye on this recipe since I got this recipe book but haven't had an opportunity to make it. Our British holiday party provided the perfect opportunity to give it a try, since trifles are quintessentially British (though admittedly this trifle did have Italian leanings) and there'd be enough people that David and I wouldn't have to eat an entire trifle by ourselves. The recipe was massive, so I did cut in half, hence the bizarre ingredient portions.
Recipe
from Bon Appetit DessertsServes 8-911½ tbsp sugar½ cup plus 2 tbsp water, divided2 tbsp plus ½ tsp dark rum2 tbsp brandy, divided6 large egg yolks¼ tsp ground nutmeg2 8-oz containers mascarpone cheese1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream1 tsp vanilla extract3¼ tsp instant espresso or coffee powder3½ tbsp Kahlua or other coffee liqueur1 6.15-oz box or 2 3.5-oz boxes crisp ladyfingers½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, finely ground in processor, dividedWhisk 10-½ tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp rum, 1½ tbsp brandy, egg yolks and nutmeg in large metal bowl. Set over saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until mixture thickens and the temperature arches 140 F for 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. One container at a time, whisk in mascarpone into warm custard until well blended.Beat cream, vanilla, remaining brandy and ½ tsp rum in a large bowl with an electric mixer until cream holds peaks. Fold in mascarpone mixture.Boil ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in remaining 1 tbsp sugar and espresso powder until dissolved. Mix in Kahlua. Submerge 1 cookie in espresso mixture and coat, shaking off any excess liquid. Place dipped cookie, sugared side facing out, around bottom side of 14-cup trifle dish, pressing against side of dish (cookie may break). Repeat with enough cookies to go around the bottom sides of dish once. Dip more cookies and arrange over bottom of dish to cover.Spoon 2 cups mascarpone mixture over cookies and spread to cover. Sprinkle a ¼ of the ground chocolate over, making chocolate visible at sides of dish. Repeat with more cookies dipped in espresso mixture, mascarpone mixture and ground chocolate in 3 more layers each. Cover and chill overnight.
Musings
A few notes on preparation: Because mascarpone is so expensive, we opted to make our own, which turns out to be ridiculously easy to make (essentially combining heavy cream and lemon juice).Super delicious! Tiramisu is one of my favourite desserts, and it really amazed me how much this tasted like tiramisu. Creamy and flavourful, there isn't really anything I would change about this dessert. I just bemoan the fact that I can't have it more often!