Tiramisu is a favourite of many. I love this version using ready-made custard (must be a premium brand!), and choc-a-block with hazelnuts. If you have Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), use it in place of Tia Maria.
Ingredients
—150ml (about 5 fl oz) unsweetened espresso coffee, cooled 4 Tbsp coffee liqueur Tia Maria 200g (about 7 oz) sponge fingers (also known as lady fingers or boudoir biscuits) 200ml (about 7 fl oz) mascarpone 100ml (about 3½ fl oz) cream 200ml (about 7 fl oz) ready-made custard (use a premium brand) ½ cup toasted skinned hazelnuts, chopped Cocoa for sieving over top Small piece dark chocolate for grating or making chocolate curls
Method
—1 Mix coffee and Tia Maria together in a shallow dish. Dunk biscuits in coffee liquid to coat; note some biscuits are hard and need to be soaked briefly to absorb the liquid (others will disintegrate if soaked – it is best to test a small piece). Put biscuits in serving glasses, cutting them to fit, or assemble dessert in one medium-sized glass serving bowl.
Cut sponge finger biscuits to fit chosen glasses or bowl.
2 Put mascarpone in a bowl and beat in cream. If the mixture is lumpy, pass it through a coarse sieve. Add layers of mascarpone and custard to glasses, scattering in hazelnuts as you go (reserve some hazelnuts for the top).
Chopping roasted hazelnuts.
3 Sieve cocoa over the top of desserts, then grate chocolate on top of cocoa (I use a vegetable peeler), or garnish with chocolate curls. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Coffee & Hazelnut Tiramisu – serve with chocolate shavings, or go the whole hog: cocoa, chocolate shavings and toasted hazelnuts.
Recipe Notes
While the dessert can be served as soon as it is assembled, it is best refrigerated for a few hours before serving to allow the coffee and Tia Maria liquid to seep through everything.
Julie
Love your newsletters. Are these green tomatoes just tomatoes not ripened? Or are they a variety which stays green? I would love to grow them next year. I always try your recipes – never disappointed. Look forward to your reply.
Regards Eleanor
Hi Eleanor,
thank you, that’s lovely to hear! Green tomatoes are a type of tomato. I grow Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomatoes. They are a good size and have a nice acid bite. I love them! Good luck with finding them for next year. I got mine from my local Placemakers Garden dept on Waiheke.