Tiramisu, with a (Lemon) Twist
I love the combination of the citrus and the Vin Santo wine in this version of a classic. While it’s clearly not for the little ones, as an “adult” version of an Italian sweet treat, it’s a winner in my book. The Mascarpone mixture will make a lot, which means you will have extra to dollop on waffles or french toast the next morning, or use to layer in a mini trifle with crispy biscotti cookies. Delicioso in whichever way you choose to use it up!
Servings Prep Time
12people 30minutes
Passive Time
1hour
Servings Prep Time
12people 30minutes
Passive Time
1hour
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Assemble ingredients so that you don’t have to go hunting for items as you begin to put the dessert together.
  2. Using mixer, combine eggs and sugar until incorporated.
  3. After eggs & sugar are combined, make sure no lumps of sugar remain. Mixture should be smooth.
  4. Add Mascarpone cheese to mixture.
  5. Mix on low speed until fully incorporated, again making sure there are no lumps in the mixture.
  6. Zest one lemon into mixture. Fold zest into batter until fully incorporated. Set bowl aside while you assemble the ladyfingers.
  7. Use 8 small individual serving bowls for a half batch, or one large 8×8 pan if serving a full batch. For the smaller bowls, break lady fingers in half so that they will fit in each bowl.
  8. Pour 1/4 inch of Vin Santo wine into a shallow bowl. You will need to refill the dish as you determine the amount needed for each lady finger.
  9. Quickly run each lady finger through the wine, making sure that the lady fingers aren’t completely absorbed with wine. It will continue to permeate the delicate cookies as the dessert sets, so you don’t want to overdo it and wind up with soggy bites in the dessert.
  10. Drizzle citrus Mascarpone batter over lady fingers, nearly covering the top of the dessert bowl or pan.
  11. Zest the other half a lemon over the completed dessert. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours. Serve with small glass of Vin Santo wine as a perfect pairing.
Recipe Notes

Even as this version uses lemon zest, you could try other citrus in this as well.  I’m sure that orange or lime would work well, too. Don’t have a zester?  I use an inexpensive yet durable one from Microplane. 

Another use for the left over Mascarpone cream is to build what I call a “poor man’s tiramisu”.  Using vanilla wafers, layer them in an 8×8 dish and top with the remaining cream, zest, and crumbled vanilla wafers. This is a fun, kid-friendly version as well, and is a great surprise of flavors and textures when you show up with it at a potluck.  Enjoy!

Poor Man's Tiramisu