Much Misu About Everything
How to Really F*ck with the Concept of Tiramisu
Oh lord, the tiramisu. The mightiest of mighty delights with its yielding layers of all things fit to be dessert (not pudding in this instance, I think)… chocolate, coffee, booze, cream-custard like a mouthful of really tasty clouds. And so easy to make if you follow the cheat’s route to this plate of heaven like I do, though both the easy and the traditional route are excellent. The latter involving eggs and the former not involving eggs. You do you. But, Italians, please cover your eyes.
Speaking of ‘you doing you’ my core value as a home cook is to always do just that. Me, I mean. So I will boldly mess with the status quo when it comes to recipes for I am no purist. Just a voyeur with Celia (grandma’s) old wooden spoon and an excellent memory on my tastebuds. And so for many years now I have flirted and toyed with the tiramisu. To be honest, it’s a subject that keeps me awake at night masterminding my next misu-moment. And I’m not the only one. At the footer of this article I link to other misu-loving folk. I feel as if the possibilities were endless, much like my obsession with fudge fuckery (read here). Some sweet things were born to evolve.
Here’s the basic recipe that I follow from BBC Good Food and I have starred where the playfulness can occur. After the recipe I showcase what I think are some very fine examples explaining which bits to swap out.
Ingredients
400ml double cream
250g mascarpone
75ml marsala*
5 tbsp golden caster sugar
300ml coffee, made with 2 tbsp coffee granules and 300ml boiling water*
175g sponge fingers
25g dark chocolate*
2tsp cocoa powder*
Method
Put the double cream, mascarpone, marsala and golden caster sugar in a large bowl.
Whisk until the cream and mascarpone have completely combined and have the consistency of thickly whipped cream.
Pour the coffee into a shallow dish. Dip in a few of the sponge fingers at a time, turning for a few seconds until they are nicely soaked, but not soggy. Layer these in a dish until you’ve used half the sponge fingers, then spread over half of the creamy mixture.
Using the coarse side of the grater, grate over most of the dark chocolate. Then repeat the layers (you should use up all the coffee), finishing with the creamy layer.
Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
To serve, dust with the cocoa powder and grate over the remainder of the chocolate.
Rhubarbmisu
Switch the marsala for loads of ginger wine, forego the coffee, add a layer of rhubarb stewed in honey, grate orange-flavoured dark chocolate over the top.
Matchamisu
Keep the marsala, switch the coffee for Matcha, add a layer of cherry jam (I like this one), dust with Matcha - I reckon this would be great with strawberry, too, or even blueberry. Have a play.
Mangomisu
Switch the marsala for plenty of coconut rum to make up for foregoing the coffee, weave in layers of ripe mango, top with desiccated coconut and blow torch the life out of it.
Plumisu
Switch the marsala with amaretto, keep the coffee if you like or substitute with (you guessed it) tons more booze, add layers of plum roasted with a little brown sugar.
Gooseberrymisu
Switch the marsala for lots of good gin (I used Hastings 1066), foregoing the coffee, add layers of gooseberries cooked with a little elderflower cordial and two big spoonfuls of Bonne Maman lemon curd, grate lemon zest over the top or dark chocolate. I happened to have some Juthan lemon flavoured dark chocolate that I bought from a very passionate chocolate man outside Ripley Nurseries Farm Shop as I was buying my aunt some flowers.
Blackforestgateauxmisu
Switch the marsala for nocino (Thom Eagle makes an excellent one that you can now buy), keep the coffee, add layers of cherry jam and grated chocolate. I’m also about to try this one with red vermouth from Mallorca infused with Organic Rooibos tea. I will report back.
I have a few more ideas up my sleeve for misu-ing, including a carrot cake misu which I will share when it’s ready. I hope there’s more than enough to fool around with above.
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Equally, I’d love to hear if you’ve ever properly tinkered with a tiramisu before. If so, what did you create? Tell me in the comments…
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Note: all pictures are my own
Other Misu-Loving People
The Venetian Pantry’s Matchamisu >
Pistachiomisu from Alexandra Dudley >
Rhubarbmisu from Rosie Birkett >
Bourbon Banana Pudding Tiramisu from Justine Doiron >
Other Things You Might Like to Read from Me
As a) an Italian and b) from the region that invented Tiramisu and c) a Tiramisu lover, I hereby grant my consent to mess with the traditional recipe as much as you want, if these are the results! (Not that you needed it anyway 😅) the mango one sounds particularly delicious!
I was going to get all huffy like a stroppy Milanese and say “but can it be a tiramisu without the coffee”? But then I realised that you being the wise you that you are, have only dropped the ‘tira’ - It is of course this bit that does the picking or pulling (coffee) and the ‘misu’ is the “me up”. I feel, therefore, that a magnificent mango delight or ravishing rhubarb concoction would definitely “pick me up” so all is well (although the stroppy Milanese might disagree 😁). Gorgeous ideas and photos ♥️