Strawberry tiramisu: a summer favourite

Fresh, fragrant and sweet strawberry season has officially reached its peak! Now is the time when these berries simply must be everywhere, from breakfast porridge to late-night desserts. If you’re looking for something that will instantly wow your family or guests, the Summer Strawberry Tiramisu is the perfect idea.

Tiramisu means “lift me up” in Italian. Although the traditional version of this dessert is unimaginable without strong espresso coffee and cocoa, fresher variations conquer the world in the warm season. This dessert is amazing because it allows you to improvise: coffee is replaced with berry juice, lemon cream (lemon curd) or even exotic fruits. Today we have for you a rich, rich and heavenly silky strawberry version with real egg yolks. Zabaglione cream, balanced for a large company (22x32x5 cm dish!).

Ingredients for a huge summer portion (22x32x5 cm dish)

Since there aren’t too many strawberries in the summer, we’ll use up to a kilo and a half of berries for this recipe!

For the preparation and soaking of berries:

• 1 kg fresh strawberries for garnish
• 0.5 kg for strawberry juice
• A little sugar for topping the berries
• A splash of your favorite liqueur (optional, but adds a nice flavor)

For the Italian Zabaglione Cream:

• 5 fresh egg yolks
• 50 gr sugar
• 70 ml Marsala wine (but Madeira, Port, or another delicious, sweet, pale alcohol will do, I used Cointreau)

For the cream base:

• 1 kg cold mascarpone (Mascarpone)
• 500 ml heavy cream (35%)
• 150 gr sugar

Basically:

• 36 pcs. “Ladies’ Fingers” (Savoyard) cookies

Cooking process: step by step

Step 1: We prepare the strawberries for soaking

In this variation, we will not bathe the cookies in coffee, but in strawberry juice. There are two ways:

• The first way: cut 0.5 kg of strawberries, cover with sugar and leave for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. The berries will release a wonderful, sweet heavy. Strain it and, if you want extra depth of flavor, mix in a splash of liqueur. The remaining berries can be used for dressing.
• Second way: If you’re in a hurry, just squeeze some fresh strawberry juice and sweeten it lightly to your liking.

Step 2: Whip the Zabaglione cream

1. Beat the egg yolks with 50 g of sugar and Marsala wine (or other alcohol) in a bowl.
2. Place the bowl over a hot water bath. Important: the bottom of the bowl must not touch the water!
3. Beat intensively with a whisk or a mixer until the mass turns white, thickens and triples in size, at the same time the yolks are thermally treated. Relevant for those who avoid raw eggs. Remove and allow to cool completely.

Step 3: Combine the cream ingredients

1. In another bowl, whip the cold cream with 150 g of sugar until stiff.
2. Slowly mix the cooled mascarpone (1 kg) into the cold mascarpone Zabaglione cream.
3. Finally, very carefully, in a circular motion, mix the whipped cream into the mixture.

Step 4: Layer puzzle

1. Take your container. Dip the cookies for a short time (so that they do not soak and do not harden) in the prepared strawberry juice or juice and line the bottom.
2. Shake half of the available cream, smooth it out. You can add some chopped fresh strawberries on top.
3. Place a second layer of soaked cookies and cover with the remaining cream.

Patience Test (The Most Important Part!)

Cover the container with cling film and hide it in the fridge. For dessert necessary let it stand for at least a few hours, and it is ideal to cook it in the evening or early in the morning. The cookies must absorb the moisture of the berries, the cream must harden, and the flavors must combine in complete harmony.

Garnish with fresh strawberries before serving.

This is probably the easiest, freshest and tastiest summer dessert. Experiment with berries, treat your friends and enjoy the summer!