22
Jun 2024
Yemi's Food Stories: giving Italian tiramisu a British twist
Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.
Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.
Tiramisu, the luscious and beloved Italian dessert, boasts a rich and somewhat contested history.
The name - meaning 'pick me up' in Italian - perfectly captures the delightful boost provided by its blend of espresso, mascarpone cheese, cocoa, and ladyfingers.
The exact origins of tiramisu are shrouded in mystery, with several regions in Italy claiming to have created the first version of this decadent treat.
The regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia are at the heart of this debate, and one popular theory credits the creation of tiramisu to Le Beccherie, a restaurant in Treviso, Veneto, in the 1960s.
Tiramisu's rise to fame began in the 1980s when it started appearing in Italian restaurants worldwide, quickly becoming a symbol of Italian culinary prowess. Its irresistible combination of flavours and textures has since cemented its place in dessert history.
The beauty of tiramisu is that it lends itself to variations based on other popular flavours including matcha, lemon, berry, and chocolate.
A dessert fit for the Great British summertime
With the height of British tennis season upon us and the Queen’s Club Championships taking place this week, it’s a perfect time to make tiramisu with the iconic combination of tennis and British strawberries - sunshine not guranteed, however.
I always have frozen berries in my freezer as they are perfect for quick jams, compotes and coulis to top desserts, pancakes or breakfast granola. For this recipe you will need a combination of fresh and frozen strawberries.
Time: 45 minutes
Serving size: Just like the tennis, it’s crowd pleasing and can serve eight people coming for less than £2 per serving.
Equipment: The only equipment you need is an electric whisk and a 25cm-by-25cm square dish. You can also make this in individual glasses.
Strawberries and Cream Tiramisu
Ingredients
For the strawberry coulis:
- 2 x pack frozen strawberries (600g).
- The juice of 1 lemon.
- 2 tbsp caster sugar.
For the vanilla whipped cream:
- 600ml double cream.
- 50g caster sugar or honey.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract.
- 250g mascarpone.
- 225g sponge fingers.
- 400g fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced.
Method
- Add the frozen strawberries, lemon juice and caster sugar to a large saucepan. Cover the saucepan with a lid and place over a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes; allow the strawberries to thaw and come to a gentle simmer.
- Lower the heat and simmer the strawberries for a further 5 minutes, or until they are soft, then remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cream with the caster sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form, then gently fold through the mascarpone
- When the strawberries have cooled to room temperature, blitz in a high-speed blender until you have a smooth coulis.
- Pour about 1cm of strawberry coulis into the base of a 25cm x 25cm dish, then lay the trifle sponges across the top, pushing them down into the coulis a little. Cover with more coulis and spoon over the whipped vanilla cream.
- Top with a layer of sliced strawberries and repeat the process once more to fill the dish.
- Cover and transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight for the sponge fingers to soften and soak up the coulis.
- Remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before serving.
Yemi's top tip: If you are feeling adventurous, add a crack of smoked black pepper just before serving.
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