The Simple Tiramisu

Friday night before dinner, I was watching Cake Boss and then Kitchen Boss with my BF Summer (5 years old); she LOVES to watch the cooking shows. And that night Buddy was making classic Tiramisu, which has to be the simplest dessert ever…until you look at how you make the special creme.

So I thought to myself…self, how can I make this yummy, simple dessert even simpler without sacrificing the unique flavor of an authentic marscapone creme?

Here, check out Buddy’s recipe for Tiramisu; you’ll see that the creme is made in two steps:

1. cream together eggs, sugar, marscapone, and liquer (either marsala or brandy are traditional)
2. whip 1 cup of heavy cream into whipped cream (the real stuff)
3. fold egg mixture carefully into whipped cream

That’s a lot of fat and sugar, well deserving as it may be, for a flavor that can easily be accomplished with a simple (and cheaper) shortcut: stir Bel Gioiso Tiramisu Marscapone into a tub of cool whip. They are both already sweetened and thickened and flavored correctly, but with a lot less fat and calories all around. And for cooks with little people, you don’t have to worry about serving something with raw egg in it.

So here’s how I make Tiramisu; you’ll need from the grocery store

• 1 8-oz container of Bel Gioioso Tiramisu Marscapone Cheese at room temperature (32 points)
• 1 8-oz tub of light whipped topping (0 points)
• 1T complimentary liquer: marsala, brandy, khalua (2 points)
• 2 cups of very strong coffee or espresso (I use instant espresso) (0 points)
• 1 package of Alessi Lady Fingers (18 points)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (0 points)

When the marscapone is at room temperature, add the liquer you have chosen and stir it well, letting the liquer loosen the thick cheese. Add the whipped topping while it’s still a little bit frozen and firm, and stir. Yep, stir, not fold. Whipped topping (as opposed to real whipped cream) does not depend on air to keep it light and fluffly.

Very quickly dip each lady finger into the espresso and layer these in a 9×9 glass or porcelain pan. DO NOT let them sit or soak; they will instantly become spongy and be impossible to work with. Just a quick, light dip is what you want.

Spread half of the marscapone and whipped topping over the lady fingers, smoothing the layer with a spoon or flat spatula. Dust with cocoa powder using a small sieve.

Now do a second layer.

That’s it! Your part of this dessert is done. What is left is for you to cover the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate the Tiramisu for at least 2 hours or as much as 3 days.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus:

• for 12 servings: 5 points
• for 9 servings: 6 points (serving size shown above)
• for 8 servings: 7 points

NOTE: if you had made the Tiramisu using Buddy’s authentic Italian recipe, your points per serving are 7, 8 and 9 points, respectively.

Tip: Tiramisu is the perfect dessert for a dinner party. Use a matched or mismatched set of glass dishes…wine glasses, champagne glasses, brandy snifters, sorbet cups, pudding cups…anything that will let you show off the beautiful layers of the Tiramisu. And since this dessert requires being made in full ahead of time, it’s one less thing you have to worry about when your guests arrive. If you use a glass or dish with a narrow lip, just spoon your creme into a baggie, cut the tip, and “pipe” the creme into the glasses