Tiramisu!

Good morning all..hope u guys had a great relaxing weekend. I was pretty homesick this weekend...missed A like crazy :(. I cant wait to see him...but I guess what they say is true...distance does make the heart grow fonder. When I'm sad or a little lonely, i resort to 2 things..ice cream and baking! I looooove ice cream..and it's known to solve many major problems..at least in my case lolz! So i sat down last evening with a big bowl of mango and butterscotch ice cream (trust me, it's a deadly combo!) and then decided to make a nice tiramisu.
My cousin had requested this recipe from me a while ago, so did one of my colleagues. So Sheetal and Satakshee, this one's for you guys. And of course, A, my darling, this one's for u too!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet (400 gms) Ladysfingers biscuits- I used a brand called Emma's. (Refer notes below)
• 1 1/2 cups black coffee (6 tablespoons of nescafe or any instant coffee in 1 1/2 cups boiling water- Refer notes)
• 250 gms Philadelphia cream cheese- room temperature (Refer notes)
• 3 eggs
• 7 tablespoons sugar
• Cocoa powder- dusting

METHOD

• Make the black coffee and set aside. The coffee needs to be at room temperature by the time you start making the tiramisu.
• Separate the whites from the yolks. Ensure that the whites go into a bowl with absolutely no water in it, else it gets difficult to whip them.
• Beat the yolks with sugar until the mixture becomes thick, creamy and a golden yellow.
• Beat the whites until semi thick and fluffy.
• Now fold in the whites with the yolks mixture and blend until smooth and creamy with no lumps.
• Add the cream cheese bit by bit and blend in completely.
• Check sugar levels as the sweetness can reduce after adding the cheese.
• Take a rectangular baking dish and layer the ladysfingers at the bottom.
• Using a spoon, pour some coffee over each biscuit so as to soften them.
• Using a strainer, dust some cocoa powder over this.
• Over this, layer another set of ladysfingers and repeat the same step as above.
• If there are any empty spaces in between in the baking dish, cover the spots with the cream cheese mixture.
• I managed to have 3 layers of ladysfingers.  This tiramisu is good enough for atleast 6 people. Trust me , there wont be any leftovers!

Notes

• Ladysfingers are nothing but Italian biscuits which you would find in any big supermarket. i used a brand called Emma's. Please note that you cannot make a tiramisu without ladysfingers.
• People have this notion that you need to have espresso to make an authentic tiramisu. Nothing like that...i used normal coffee and it tasted awesome!
• Mascarpone cheese is also considered to be mandatory for a tiramisu. Here again, I used normal cream cheese. I recommend using Philadelphia and no other brand as this is the creamiest cheese in the world, atleast according to me!
• Always make the coffee first before you do anything else, as the coffee needs to be at room temperature. If not, the biscuits will break easily.
• Brandy/Rum are normally used in a tiramisu. This is purely optional. i do not drink alcohol, neither does my father in law, so I did'nt add any alcohol to this. If you do want to add some alcohol, you can add upto 3 tablespoons.

Time for the pics...I've taken a few, so do let me know what you think..

And a slice for my colleague and friend, Satakshee..

So there we are..and you know what..my spirits were lifted once i made this. Of course, nothing better than seeing my love though...which i will be doing in another 3 weeks..Yippee!!! So till next time, adios amigos and God bless!