A couple of weeks ago, I had some guests over for dinner. I had planned to get some good artisanal gelato for dessert, but it was the height of summer and way too hot to go out, so I opted for my favorite solution: opening our pantry and making a dessert with our products!

We had eggs, cookies, chocolate, coffee... That's it! Let’s prepare the most classic of Italian desserts: tiramisu!

Tiramisu is one of the most loved and well-known Italian desserts worldwide, so much so that it has its own international celebration day!
A semi-frozen dessert with a creamy flavor and a perfect balance between sweetness and bitterness that wins you over from the first bite.

There are now endless variations of this dessert, from deconstructed to pistachio, strawberry, or matcha tea! Ours won’t be the classic recipe either, but rather our Tuscan version, as we tried to use products from our small local producers as much as possible—and I must assure you that when using organic and artisanal products, you can really taste the difference, for the better!

So, let's see how to prepare a tiramisu with Tuscan ingredients for 8 people.

Ingredients for the tiramisu

• 500 g of mascarpone: unfortunately, we don't have it available in our shop, so we used the classic kind;
• 4 organic free-range fresh eggs: Separate the yolks from the whites. The eggs must be very fresh, as they will not be cooked;
• 120 g of sugar: Preferably granulated sugar, to sweeten the cream without making it too heavy;
• 300 g of Biscotti del Nonno: produced by the artisanal biscuit factory Pasquinucci in Lari (PI), they are our alternative to Savoiardi or Pavesini;
• 300 ml of espresso coffee: Prepared and left to cool. Strong coffee is essential to give the dessert its characteristic flavor; we used Trinci Coffee, which you can find in our shop;
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: To dust the surface of the tiramisu;
• A 50g bar of dark chocolate;
• A pinch of salt: Helps stabilize the whipped egg whites.

Preparing the tiramisu

Preparing the Coffee:

• Start by preparing about 300 ml of espresso coffee. Let the coffee cool to room temperature. This step is important to prevent the cookies from softening too quickly.

Preparing the Mascarpone Cream:

• In a large bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy; we suggest using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for this process.
• Add the mascarpone to the beaten yolks and mix gently until you have a smooth cream with no lumps.
• In another bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. The whites should be well whipped to give lightness to the cream.
• Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the mascarpone cream, mixing from bottom to top so they don't deflate.
• If you like, chop the chocolate bar into small pieces, perhaps using a mezzaluna, and add them to the cream; this will allow for a "chocolatey-er" flavor and create variations in the texture of the dessert. Be sure to save some chocolate pieces for the final decoration.

Assembling the Tiramisu:

• Take a rectangular or square baking dish and start dipping the cookies in the cooled coffee. Dip them quickly to avoid them getting too soggy.
• Arrange a layer of cookies on the bottom of the dish, covering the entire surface.
• Pour half of the mascarpone cream over the cookies and level it out with a spatula.
• Repeat the operation with a second layer of cookies and cover with the remaining cream.
• Dust the surface of the tiramisu generously with the unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.

Now cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This resting time allows the flavors to meld perfectly and makes the tiramisu even more delicious.

Variations:

• Liqueur variation: If you want to add an extra touch, you can add a little coffee liqueur, such as Marsala or rum. Mix a couple of tablespoons of liqueur into the coffee before dipping the cookies.
• Replacing the cookies: If you prefer a softer consistency, you can use sponge cake or Pavesini instead of the cookies (but always remember that the original recipe calls for Savoiardi).
• Chocolate: We used a dark chocolate from Madagascar with Volterra salt, made by the artisanal chocolate shop Angiolini in Pontedera (PI). In our shop, you can find various products from this chocolatier, such as milk chocolate, white chocolate, almond bars, and various types of dark chocolate—try the one that tempts you the most!

Wine pairing

Clearly, to savor our tiramisu at its best, we chose to pair it with two sweet dessert wines that match perfectly, such as Vin Santo and Passito di Pantelleria.

Both wines, with their sweetness and acidity, perfectly balance the creaminess and the bitterness of the coffee.

Two excellent, very "Tuscan" solutions that you can find in our shop are the Vin Santo Amelio DOC from Cantina Cupelli in San Miniato (PI) or the Passito San Germano IGT from Tenuta di Ghizzano in Peccioli (PI), both Tuscan companies that work in an organic and artisanal way.

Conclusion

Tiramisu is a dessert that carries the entire Italian tradition with it. It is easy to prepare and always guarantees great success at the table. By following this recipe, you will be able to make a perfect tiramisu that will win over all your guests. Don't forget to let it rest for the right amount of time in the refrigerator to get the ideal consistency. Prepare it in advance and enjoy every spoonful of this irresistible dessert!