Strawberry Tiramisu

Note the strawberries need to macerate overnight prior to making the syrup. And the assembled tiramisu should also refrigerate for several hours.

First, prepare the strawberry coulis. Put strawberries in a large bowl. Cover with the sugar, then cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove strawberries from the fridge, put them in a medium saucepan and add the water. Cook on medium heat until the syrup starts to thicken, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from stove, add citric acid and let it cool completely. You can leave the mixture as it is, with a few pieces of strawberries or puree it finely.

Note: If you don’t have the time to wait for the strawberries overnight, you can cook them without the marination, but you will have to cook them a bit longer in order for the sauce to thicken. Or if you prefer you can use a puree of fresh strawberries.

Prepare the egg yolk mixture: In a medium saucepan whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Add the bourbon and start cooking on medium to medium-low heat (depending on how strong your stove is). Whisk almost constantly until all the sugar dissolves and the egg yolk mixture is hot to the touch. Make sure to whisk often to avoid curdling the eggs.

Once the sugar dissolves, remove pan from stove and set aside to cool completely as you stir the mixture once in a while. Once the mixture is cold to the touch (or at room temperature) whisk again by hand or with a mixer for a minute or so.

In a large bowl add the cream cheese and cream and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the cream cheese mixture and beat again for a minute just to combine.

To assemble the tiramisu: To prepare a syrup for dipping the ladyfingers, add a couple of tablespoons of syrup from the strawberry coulis to the water in a shallow bowl.

Dip each ladyfinger into the strawberry water for only 5 seconds. Don’t soak the ladyfingers too much in the water, because they will fall apart. Place a layer of the soaked ladyfingers on the bottom of your preferred serving glass or tray. Evenly spread a layer of strawberry coulis over the ladyfingers, followed by one layer of the cream cheese mixture. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers on top of that. Then top with a layer of the strawberry coulis and a layer of cream cheese mixture. Repeat steps until your dish is full up to the edge.

Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for a few hours. Before serving, sprinkle with shredded chocolate, coconut or caramelized nuts. Enjoy!