Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Lemon Tiramisu

This is a party-perfect recipe that looks like you slaved for hours - but you don't even have to turn on the oven. It's all made with purchased savoiardi biscuits - kind of like ladyfingers but crispy and hard with a coating of sugar. After a soaking, they're as tender as a sponge cake. The recipe is elegant and luscious. And it all comes together in about 10 minutes.

My cousin Lucia made this for us on our recent visit to Italy. She's the cousin who won the "Miss Tagliatella" contest in her region. I kid you not. So you can be sure she knows her way around the kitchen. One of these days, I'll make a video of her making pasta and then we'll both know the secret of her success.


For now, you'll have to be content with her lemon tiramisu. It was delicious all by itself but I thought I'd add the raspberry sauce to jazz it up a bit and add some color.

Lemon Tiramisu

24 savoiardi biscuits
juice of two to three lemons

8 oz. mascarpone cheese
8 oz. ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
grated rind of one large lemon

Mix together the mascarpone, ricotta, sugar and lemon rind.

Line a meat loaf pan with plastic wrap. Dip 8 savoiardi biscuits (on both sides) in the lemon juice and place along the bottom, squeezing to fit. Cover with half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with another level of savoiardi, then the other half of the cheese mixture. Finish with a layer of savoiardi. Wrap tightly and refrigerate a minimum of four hours; preferably overnight.

Flip over, remove plastic wrap and serve with raspberry sauce if desired.

Raspberry Sauce

10 or 12 ounce package of frozen raspberries
2 T. water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice

Bring the raspberries, water and sugar to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Put through a strainer, add the lemon juice and refrigerate.

14 comments:

  1. Wow! This looks so GOOD! I've never made Tiramisu. Maybe I should try.

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  2. hummm, I am totally convinced I should try it :)))
    Great idea!

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  3. This looks so good and the recipe sounds so easy. Thanks for sharing it! It will be perfect for summer.

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  4. Oh how wonderful this must of been and your cousin beautiful!

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  5. There's something on my blog for you :)

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  6. I've got friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Desserts are always my weak point, but as I write, your lemon tiramisu is in the fridge. (I was tempted to add a dash of limoncello, but didn't in the end.) I'll let you know how it goes.

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  7. Thank you Lucia! (and Linda) I have to try this. You think I can spike it with some Limoncello?

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  8. You lemon Tiramisu looks really great and easy, I have never tried the lemon always had traditional coffee. Thanks for shareing

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  9. Thank you. It went down a bomb! I am so delighted. It turned out well and was easy to cut into slices. Thanks again. This one is a winner.

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  10. These are my favorite kind of dessert; no bake, easy, yet elegant. Terrific!
    LL

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  11. Thank you so much for posting this! I've bookmarked it as a MUST try! Sounds light and delicious....

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  12. Wow! I love lemon and I love Tiramisu. This combination is just perfect. (Miss Tagliatella? Really? Very cool!)

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