Berry Tiramisù

Name: Berry Tiramisù
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds/600 to 700 grams mixed berries of your choice (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen); 3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1/2 cup dry Marsala, Vinsanto or other dessert wine; 3 egg yolks; 6 tablespoons/75 grams granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon dry Marsala, Vinsanto or other dessert wine; 10 ounces/375 grams mascarpone; 1 1/2 cups/355 milliliters chilled whipping cream; 30 to 36 Italian ladyfingers; 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar, for dusting; Edible flowers, for topping (optional)

Recipe from Letizia Mattiacci

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Berry Tiramisù — Melina Hammer for The New York Times

Total Time: 2 hours, plus chilling
Rating: 4(172)
Comments: Read comments

This fruity, summery version of tiramisù was invented by Letizia Mattiaci, a cook in Umbria who teaches cooking classes in her home kitchen, high in the hills above Assisi. Berries and cream are, of course, a classic combination, but putting them together this way makes for a beguiling dessert. The berries give off a delicious violet juice that is used to soften the ladyfingers, just as strong coffee is used in the traditional recipe. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Umbria, Italy’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret, Is Budding

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

For the Berries

1½pounds/600 to 700 grams mixed berries of your choice (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen)
3 to 4tablespoons granulated sugar
1tablespoon lemon juice
½cup dry Marsala, Vinsanto or other dessert wine

For the Mascarpone Custard

3egg yolks
6tablespoons/75 grams granulated sugar
1tablespoon dry Marsala, Vinsanto or other dessert wine
10ounces/375 grams mascarpone
1½cups/355 milliliters chilled whipping cream

For Assembly

30 to 36Italian ladyfingers
2 to 3tablespoons brown sugar, for dusting
Edible flowers, for topping (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the berries: Trim berries and cut any large ones into ½-inch/1 centimeter pieces. Place berries in a ceramic bowl and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar (depending on the sweetness of the fruit), the lemon juice and the dessert wine. Let them soak for as long as possible, at least 2 hours, so they release their juice, which you will need to moisten the lady fingers.
Step 2
Make the custard: Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a metal bowl and set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Continue whisking (by hand or with an electric mixer) until very warm to the touch but not quite boiling, about 5 minutes. The mixture should reach 160 degrees. Add dessert wine and whisk thoroughly for another minute. Remove bowl from heat, place in an ice bath and let cool completely. Whisk in mascarpone until smooth.
Step 3
Whip the cream in a separate bowl until it holds stiff peaks. Fold it gently into the mascarpone mixture.
Step 4
To assemble: Line the bottom of a deep 9-inch-square serving dish with half of the ladyfingers, making compact rows. Spread half the berries on top with about half of their juices. Make sure to drizzle the juice evenly over the ladyfingers so they will be soft but not soggy. Cover with half the mascarpone custard. Repeat process once more, for a two-layer tiramisù, then refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Step 5
Sprinkle with brown sugar and decorate with edible flowers before serving. Cut into squares first, or use a spoon.

Ratings

4 out of 5

172 user ratings

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Comments

Martha7 years ago

I made something similar. Instead of mascarpone I used lime curd and for the wine I used moscato. The edible flowers are a nice touch.
By the way, if you own a Vitamix, making curd is snap. Find a recipe on their website. Worth the price of the machine. Also stress free creme patisserie and creme anglais. No babysitting nor constant stirring needed.

YOI3 years ago

Can’t wait until the fruits are macerated in order to use those liquids - I used elderflower syrup instead of alcohol to soak the lady fingers. I mean, it makes more sense with yummy berries that the kids could eat it too…and the mascarpone cream was based on Alison Roman’s classic tiramisu.

Laurie Kearns Stewart2 years ago

This is a showstopper recipe! We will make it again but use two pounds of berries. Increase the Marsala to 5 ounces. Maybe we were spot on , but next time we are adding six ounces of mascapone to the heavy cream to stabilize it a bit before folding into the egg yolk mixture. Hoping this will result in a delicious, but stiffer cream mixture. Simple yet scrumptious!!

Indy Cook1 week ago

This was a lot more work than it appeared just reading the recipe. The end results were worth it, though, despite dirtying many bowls. I sometime fall into the trap of not wanting to make a recipe if it uses too many pans/bowls, which my husband calls "name that tune," but with me it is "I can make that recipe in two bowls, rather than the five it calls for." In this case, I ended up using all of the bowls suggested. The most challening part was the custard; it went from perfect to a bit grainy

rose3 months ago

Any suggested replacement ingredient for the alcohol, for those of us who don't?

Pigo Gozzi2 years ago

I made this for July 4th and followed the recipe exactly, it was perfect and absolutely delicious. Lush and light at the same time. I will keep this on my hit parade. The group loved the very tiramisu and said it was the best part of the day.

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