Michelin-starred Chef Matthew Accarrino remembers his first bite of tiramisù at Antonello Colonna’s eponymous trattoria in the Roman countryside. Working as a young chef, he visited a dairy down the way to collect fresh cheese for the dessert. He’ll never forget the feeling of ricotta still warm in the basket.
Many James Beard nominations later, Chef Accarrino has abandoned the journey of courses that distinguished his restaurant, SPQR, in San Francisco, for something less serious, but of equal quality: a la carte cooking. His new takeout menu includes this dessert: “Tiramisù in a cup.”
Chef Accarrino infuses his tiramisù with bold coffee, mixing in three different types: drip coffee, coffee extract, and two shots of espresso. He likes a bit more chocolate than normal to come through the tiramisù, so he adds a layer of crunchy cacao nibs between the mascarpone and whipped cream. The dessert is finished with a dusting of cocoa powder.
The best bite, he says, is when a ladyfinger oozes coffee into a spoonful of cream. That unforgettable wet and creamy texture commands his respect because of all desserts, tiramisù achieves the miracle of density without heaviness.
TIRAMISÙ BY CHEF ACCARINO
Serves - 8 tiramisù or one large one
Ingredients:
40-50 grams of ground coffee (brew with 250-300 grams of water)
2 shots of espresso
200 grams of white sugar or muscovado (about .85 of a cup)
10 grams of Trablit (coffee extract)
4 egg yolks
40 grams of wine or rum (2.2 tablespoons)
15 grams of water
50 grams of white sugar or muscovado (2.7 tablespoons)
10 grams of vanilla extract (.5 tablespoon)
1gm of salt
250 grams of mascarpone (about ½ tub, 9 oz)
800 grams of cream (about 3.3 cups)
35 grams of sugar (about ⅛ cup)
15 grams of vanilla paste, or 10 grams of extract (1.2 tablespoons)
1 gram of salt
2 packages of ladyfingers (12 per packet, chef likes Bonomi)
Cocoa nibs and powder (as needed)
Method:
Brew coffee and pour it into a pot with the 200 grams of sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce slightly. Add the espresso shots and Trablit coffee extract (optional). Cool to room temperature or chill.
Meanwhile, place the yolks, wine or rum, water, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl and whisk till foamy for one minute. Transfer to a double boiler and cook, while whisking constantly till a pale zabaglione is formed and the mixture reaches 170 degrees.
Add in the mascarpone. Whisk well to combine and melt the mascarpone. This will take a minute and the mixture is ready when there are no more lumps of mascarpone.
Whip the cream with sugar, vanilla, and salt till soft peaks are formed. Take about a quarter of the whipped cream to the mascarpone, mix, and whisk into the mixture. Take another quarter and fold in, this time using a spatula. Repeat with the rest of the whipped cream, still folding in with a spatula. Set aside the remaining whipped cream. (There should be about a quarter left.)
Place the ladyfingers in a single layer of a serving dish. Spoon the coffee mixture on top. Spoon the reserved vanilla cream over top. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs. Add the mascarpone mixture on top and tap lightly to level the mixture.
Repeat this process until you have used all of the ingredients, or just make one big layer. It’s up to you!
Chill for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours. Then sift cocoa powder over top. If not serving the same day, best to cover with a lid or cling film.