Tiramisu, my style.

Hello all! Today my parents returned from a rigorous business trip.  I was so happy that they were going to come home, that I thought I would make them something to welcome them back.  My dad said all he wanted was a 6-pack (typical man!) so that was easy enough but my mom has always had a soft spot for tiramisu.  I have watched many ways to make tiramisu on the FoodNetwork as well as read many different recipes.  What I love and am so proud of about this recipe, is that I made it up as I went along and added things that I thought would taste good.  I am sure tons of other people have had the same thoughts as I have about my additions and substitutes for tiramisu but I still love the concept creating new things with food and taking chances.  In this recipe I used Kahlua instead of a dark rum, added a chocolate layer between every lady finger+marscapone layer, used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder and also scraped vanilla bean into the marscapone mixture.  I hope you enjoy this recipe if you try it!

xox,
Emily

Verbena Ella's Tiramisu

13"x9" pan (although I used a circular dish..)

• 6 egg  yolks (Make sure to use properly refrigerated and clean AA eggs. No one wants salmonella!)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pound marscapone cheese (or cream cheese if you cannot find marscapone)
• 1 1/2 cups strong espresso or other strong coffee, cooled (for a quick and less bitter substitute, I used "Starbucks Espresso and Cream" in a small can.. its like an energy drink type thing)
• 2 teaspoons Kahlua
• 2 vanilla beans
• 24 packaged ladyfingers (be sure to get Italian imported...American ladyfingers fall apart)
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings--for garnish
• Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder

1.  In a large bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes until mixture is thick and a pale yellow. (It will definitely take you 5 minutes at the LEAST!)

2.  Once the egg and sugar mixture is at the right consistency and color, add in the marscapone cheese and continue to mix until fully blended.

3.  Add 1 Tablespoon of the Espresso, mix.  Then take the vanilla beans and slice carefully down the middle top of the bean so that you can open it up.  Once sliced and opened, scrape out all of the vanilla beans inside :) It will smell great!  Then go ahead and put all the vanilla beans into your batter.

4. Put mixture aside.  In a smaller bowl, combine the rest of the Espresso with the Kahlua.  Dip each ladyfinger in the mixture for 5 seconds.  Do not soak for too long or your ladyfinger will fall apart.  Place soaked ladyfingers into a dish to create first layer.

5.  Cover the first layer of ladyfingers with your marscapone mix.  Then sift cocoa powder on top of the first layer of marscapone and then add shavings ontop of the cocoa.  First layer complete!

6.  Continue to add your layers until you have a complete tiramisu :) !  For the top layer of the tiramisu, I made bigger shavings of chocolate for look.  Et voila!