Delicous Reading: Tiramisu: A Love Story

In the 1993 movie "Sleepless in Seattle," the character of the widower, Sam (played by Tom Hanks), asks a friend for advice since he hasn't been on a date since the Carter administration. His friend tells him things have changed a little and lists a few new developments: "You have to be friends first ... you split the check ... tiramisu."

I don't remember the first time I ever tasted tiramisu, but the new York Times first wrote about it in 1985, saying it had taken the city by storm in the last three years. It became part of my daily routine to describe it in 1996 as I tried to get the patrons of Mezzaluna, the restaurant in my hometown where I waitressed, to order dessert.

While there are variations on the recipe, it is typically made with mascarpone (the soft, buttery, Italian double cream cheese) plus eggs, coffee, sugar, chocolate pieces and ladyfingers. It's really a delightful combination.

Many times after the lunch shift, the other waitresses and I would grab forks and gather around the large, black plastic pan full of tiramisu remnants to scrape up espresso-soaked ladyfingers.

Mezzaluna closed while I was in graduate school, and my access to tiramisu was much more limited. On the rare occasion that I was dining somewhere fancy enough to have it, I always tried to order it. Recently my mother, sister and I traveled together to a wedding. On our return home, we decided that rather than make the typical pit stop for lunch, we would treat ourselves to a meal at the Firefly Grill (www.ffgrill.com) in Effingham, Illinois.

Just a little father off Interstate 57 than the fast food establishments and gas stations, the Firefly Grill is "a dream that became a journey" for a chef and his wife. They "source the best ingredients possible and stay out of their way." With their own garden and a beautiful lakeside setting, the Firefly is truly an oasis in the middle of Illinois. After enjoying a lovely lunch, we were presented with the dessert menu. My sister and I spied "Coffee Toffee Tiramisu" and decided to split it. When I took the first bite, I got tears in my eyes. The flavors and textures -- they had improved upon my memory of Mezzaluna's tiramisu!

Since I don't know when I will get back to the Firefly, I just had to try to recreate the tiramisu. I'm sharing the recipe I developed, but if you ever happen to be headed north on 57, I encourage you to pull off at the Effingham exit to try the original.

Brooke's Homage to the Firefly Grill's Coffee Toffee Tiramisu

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons amaretto

1/2 pound mascarpone

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup strong espresso, cooled (I made this using 2 tablespoons of espresso powder and 1 1/2 cups boiling water because I don't have an espresso maker)

12 lady fingers, 6 of them split

1 cup toffee bits

Cocoa powder for dusting

Directions:

1. Make the toffee sauce: Place butter and 1/2 cup sugar in medium saucepan on medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture turns a deep amber color. Carefully stir in cream and vanilla. Mixture will be bubbly. Whisking constantly, cook until sauce thickens and coats back of spoon. Remove from heat.

2. Make the cream: Whisk the yolks with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar until light. Whisk in one tablespoon of amaretto. Beat in the mascarpone until smooth and then beat in 2 tablespoons espresso until well mixed.

3. Prepare the ladyfingers and layer the dessert: Add remaining amaretto to one cup of espresso. Split six of the ladyfingers and dip them in the espresso (move quickly, as they absorb the espresso and get soggy fast). Arrange in the bottom of a loaf pan. Top with 1/3 of the cream. Spread 1/3 of the cooled toffee sauce on top of the cream. Dip the 6 whole lady fingers into the espresso and place on top of the cream and toffee sauce. Repeat layer of cream and toffee sauce. Dip the remaining split ladyfingers in the espresso and top with the remaining cream and toffee sauce.

4. Garnish: Top the last layer of cream and toffee sauce with toffee bits and a dusting of cocoa powder.

5. Chill: Cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least four hours.

6. Serve by the slice.

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About Brooke

Brooke Clubbs is a Jackson mom of three, a freelance writer and a communications instructor.