Tiramisu may have its roots in Italy, but its tentacles have spread so far that it is now a global sensation. Photos: SAMUEL ONG/The Star
In the past few months, there’s been a bit of a tiramisu craze in the Klang Valley. While the dessert was once the purview of Italian restaurants in the city, these days, every coffee outlet, cafe and casual dining restaurant seems to have developed their own version.
While many have stuck with the original recipe, variations abound – from pistachio tiramisu to pandan tiramisu and many more.
Demand has been so high that some coffee outlets have even had to ration out the tiramisu, serving it only on selected days.
“Oh, it’s very popular – tiramisu is one of our top three selling items in the restaurant. We sell close to 1,000 portions a month,” says Vincenzo Carbone, the executive chef of Kuala Lumpur eatery Il Forno, which is nestled in Hyatt Centric City Centre.
Tiramisu means “pick-me-up” in Italian and is a relatively new addition to the Italian dessert oeuvre, or at least that is what is alleged. The origins of tiramisu have been in debate for decades now but two prevailing theories remain.
The first is that the dessert was created in the 1950s in the Treviso region in Veneto by a young restaurant owner who was recuperating after childbirth.
Looking for a restorative treat, she allegedly used her mother-in-law’s custard recipe as a base, then added Italian ladyfingers, mascarpone cheese, coffee and cocoa, which became the basis of tiramisu.
The basic ingredients for tiramisu include egg yolks, egg whites, ladyfingers, espresso and sugar.
Another tale that lingers about the Treviso origins is that the dessert was originally a recipe crafted by a madame in a brothel as far back as the 1800s.
Although there is little to support this idea, the notion that it was created much earlier than the mid-20th century is plausible, given that the memoirs of Italian writer Giovanni Comisso contain accounts of how much his grandmother loved tiramisu from the time he was a child.
As Comisso was born in 1895, this reinforces the proposition that tiramisu’s origins may be much older than we think.
The second theory is that Mario Cosolo from Friuli-Venezia Giulia invented it in 1938 to honour King Vittorio Emmanuele.
While we may never know who truly created this Italian dessert, we can agree that it has swelled beyond Italian borders and is now a global favourite.
“Every time you go to a restaurant in Italy, tiramisu is a dessert that everyone puts on the menu. It’s this classic dessert that every Italian restaurant has,” says Carbone.
At Il Forno, the tiramisu has gained traction on social media platforms like TikTok because the dish is made from scratch and cooked in a huge stainless steel pot. When an order is made, the server will scoop a giant heaping of tiramisu out of the pot and onto a plate, ensuring that what you get is very, very fresh.
“You know, sometimes when you go to the restaurants, you see every time the tiramisu looks like a brick, right? Like it’s very precise.
“So, personally, when I look at that, I form an impression that comes from a professional point of view. Because to get that kind of shape and consistency for tiramisu, you need to have some gelatin or cream inside.
“So we don’t do that here. What we’re serving – the recipe, ingredients and methods – are very traditional,” explains Carbone.
Carbone says the key to attaining a cloud-like meringue and mascarpone combination is to fold the mixture, rather than whisk it vigorously.
So what’s in a traditional tiramisu? The ingredients are pretty basic – mascarpone cheese, egg yolks, egg whites, sugar, Italian ladyfingers and espresso.
In Italy, many recipes also incorporate the use of alcohol like dark rum or Amaretto, although Carbone omits it in his own classic dish.
To nail a traditional tiramisu, Carbone says there are a few things that people should pay mind to, especially when it comes to ingredient-sourcing.
“Try and get Italian espresso and mascarpone cheese from Italy too. The second thing that is very, very important is the eggs. We’re using fresh, cage-free eggs. I even went to visit the farm!
“Because the eggs go raw inside the dessert, it’s very important that you have a good source,” he says.
Carbone also says that when mixing the meringue and mascarpone together, home cooks should fold it carefully as opposed to whisking or mixing vigorously.
“If you whisk it, it will affect the texture, right? You want to have a very light texture – that is key. So we fold it using a spatula,” he says.
So what is Il Forno’s tiramisu like? It’s wonderful – a squidgy, creamy nirvanic slice that combines the lightness of the sponge with the cloud-like texture of the mascarpone and meringue, all bound together by the hedonistic, caffeine-laden charm of espresso.
It is this sinfulness and utterly seductive qualities that continue to draw new generations of fans to the wonders of tiramisu.
As Carbone himself says, “It has become a representation of Italy.”
VINCENZO CARBONE’S TIRAMISU
• 10 egg yolks
• 150g egg whites
• 625g Italian mascarpone
• 200g sugar
• 80ml water
• 2 vanilla beans, pods scraped
from the beans
• 26 pieces ladyfingers
(savoiardi)
• 350ml Italian espresso
• Good quality cocoa powder,
for dusting
To make
Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into different mixing bowls. In one bowl, use a mixer to beat the yolk until the colour turns from bright yellow to light yellow and fluffy. When the yolk is fluffy, add the mascarpone and whisk again until well combined and fluffy.
In another mixing bowl, add the egg whites and using a mixer, turn the machine on low speed.
At this point, boil the sugar, water and vanilla together. Turn the mixer with egg whites to medium speed.
Once the sugar reaches the temperature of 118°C (use a kitchen thermometer to gauge), turn off the fire.
Your egg white mixture should be ready at this point and should have medium peaks and be slightly stiff.
Pour the sugar slowly into the egg whites and beat the meringue until the temperature drops from 55°C to 45°C.
Fold the mascarpone mixture and meringue together bit by bit with a spatula until combined.
Prepare a 10in x 3in (25.5cm x 7.5cm) stainless steel pot or two casserole dishes measuring 9.5in x 2in (24cm x 5cm) each.
Dip the ladyfingers into the espresso and arrange on the base of the dish until it forms a sponge layer. Add the mascarpone-
meringue mixture and repeat the same layering process until done.
Cover in cling film and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight for best results.
When ready to serve, dust liberally with cocoa powder, cut into individual pieces and enjoy.
