Tiramisu

In Italy, the filling for a traditional Tiramisu is made by blending mascarpone cheese with raw egg yolks and then lightening the mix by blending it with whipped egg whites. Because raw eggs carry the risk of salmonella, in our filling, we have omitted them entirely and added a bit more whipped cream for volume and lightness. 1 cup water 6 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons "instant" espresso coffee 1/4 cup sweet Marsala wine or orange juice 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese or other mild cream cheese 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup dark rum or Cognac or orange juice 1 cup heavy cream 8 ounces lady fingers, Italian "Savoiardi" cookies, or sponge cake, or angel food cake cut into pieces about 1/2-inch thick, 2 inches long and 1-inch wide 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

TO MAKE THE ESPRESSO SOAKING SYRUP: Set aside a 13 x 9-inch glass baking pan. In a small saucepan, bring the water, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and the instant espresso coffee to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool to room temperature. When cool, add the Marsala wine and transfer the mixture to a shallow plate. TO MAKE THE FILLING: In a bowl, blend the mascarpone together with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla and rum and 2 tablespoons of the espresso soaking syrup. Beat until smooth. Whip the cream until stiff and fold it into the cheese mixture. TO ASSEMBLE THE TIRAMISU*: Quickly dip the lady fingers or cake pieces (don't saturate them) on both sides into the espresso syrup and make one layer of dipped cake in the baking pan. Top with half of the mascarpone and whipped cream mix. Dip the remaining cookies in the espresso syrup and create a second layer. Evenly spread the remaining half of the mascarpone and whipped cream mix over the top. Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The Tiramisu can be prepared a day or two ahead. Right before serving, dust the top of the Tiramisu with unsweetened cocoa powder. Serve cold. To make individual servings of Tiramisu, first create some steel ring molds by removing the tops and bottoms of tuna fish cans and washing the remaining rings well. Set the rings on individual plates and line each one with some soaked sponge cake, then a layer of mascarpone, a layer of soaked sponge cake and a layer of mascarpone. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Right before serving, carefully remove the steel ring and dust the top with unsweetened cocoa powder. * To make individual servings of Tiramisu, first create some steel ring molds by removing the tops and bottoms of tuna fish cans and washing the remaining rings well. Set the rings on individual plates and line each one with some soaked sponge cake, then a layer of mascarpone, a layer of soaked sponge cake and a layer of mascarpone. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Right before serving, carefully remove the steel ring and dust the top with unsweetened cocoa powder.