{"id":155,"date":"2009-07-06T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2009-07-06T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=155"},"modified":"2009-07-06T09:00:33","modified_gmt":"2009-07-06T13:00:33","slug":"tiramisu%e2%80%99-a-healthy-version","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/tiramisu%e2%80%99-a-healthy-version\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiramisu\u2019: a healthy version!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another recipe, and as we are in the middle of a sultry summer here in Italy, in the period known as\u00a0il<\/strong> solleone<\/strong> (the lion sun), what\u2019s better than a nice, cool,\u00a0refreshing dessert? Tiramisu\u2019<\/strong> is probably the best known Italian pudding in the world, but perhaps not many people are aware of the meaning of\u00a0its name. Literally translated, tira-mi-su\u2019<\/strong> means \u201cpull-me-up\u201d or, as you say in English, \u201cpick-me-up\u201d. In fact we feel\u00a0quite invigorated\u00a0when we eat it, no? But a small slip in the spelling of its name can create an amusing mistake: a few years ago we went to a pub in a tiny village somewhere in the south of England. While sipping the local cider I happened to glance up at the menu\u2019 written in chalk on the blackboard:\u00a0one of the\u00a0desserts\u00a0on offer was\u00a0\u201ctiramuso\u201d!<\/strong> I started giggling and had to explain to my surprised husband that the misspelling, tira-muso<\/strong>, means \u201cpull-a sulky face\u201d, quite the opposite of the original meaning!<\/span><\/p>\n

A good Tiramisu\u2019 is always welcome, but it\u2019s not the sort of thing you make everyday,\u00a0as it\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0very rich and time consuming recipe\u00a0(too much of it will pull your cholesterol up instead of your morale). Fortunately, however, there is an alternative,\u00a0and\u00a0many years ago a friend of mine taught me this simple, relatively healthy, version\u00a0that you can make at home with everyday ingredients, and eat without worrying too much about the consequences. I\u2019m going to give you the recipe, but you\u2019ll have to forgive me because I never measure\u00a0things when I make it, lo faccio ad occhio<\/strong> (I do it by eye). <\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredienti<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dry, plain biscotti <\/strong>(biscuits), the sort we call Marie<\/strong>, and that we eat for breakfast dipped in \u201ccaffelatte\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caffe\u2019 nero dolcificato\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Black coffee, slightly sweetened.<\/span><\/p>\n

Liquore<\/strong>: Brandy or similar (optional)<\/span><\/p>\n

Burro <\/strong>(butter) or margarina <\/strong>(margarine)<\/span><\/p>\n

Farina <\/strong>(flour) or Maizena <\/strong>(cornstarch)<\/span><\/p>\n

Latte <\/strong>(milk)<\/span><\/p>\n

Zucchero <\/strong>(sugar)<\/span><\/p>\n

Cacao dolce <\/strong>(sweet cocoa)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Preparazione<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Make a besciamella dolce <\/strong>(sweet b\u00e9chamel sauce) with butter (or margarine), flour (or cornstarch), and milk, adding sugar\u00a0 when it is almost cooked, and leave it to cool slightly. Mix the coffee with a couple of spoonfuls of brandy (if you choose to use it). Use a rectangular container with tall sides, made of Pyrex if possible. Put a layer of biscuits at the bottom of the container. Pour some of the coffee mixture over the top to soak them, then cover with some sweet b\u00e9chamel sauce. Repeat the process of making layers in the same way\u00a0until all the ingredients are finished (I often have to make some more besciamella<\/strong> because I\u2019ve made too little, or I make too much sauce and have to get another container to make an extra portion of pudding, oh dear!). Put it in the fridge for several hours to cool down and set; sprinkle the top with cocoa before serving. Enjoy it chilled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Variazione extra salutare\u00a0<\/strong>(Extra healthy variation)<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days ago I had some guests who didn\u2019t drink anything caffeinated. As I didn\u2019t have any decaffeinated coffee, I decided to improvise and\u00a0use caffe\u2019 d\u2019orzo<\/strong> (barley coffee) instead, and it worked really\u00a0well. Caffe\u2019 d\u2019orzo<\/strong> is a popular substitute for coffee here in Italy as it is naturally caffeine free,\u00a0and let\u2019s face it, there\u2019s something a bit \u2018unnatural\u2019 about decaffeinated coffee!\u00a0Caffe\u2019 d\u2019orzo\u00a0is made from ground, roasted barley,\u00a0and is prepared in the normal mocha (Italian coffee maker) or, even\u00a0better, in the caffettiera Napoletana <\/strong>(Neapolitan coffee maker).<\/span><\/p>\n

Mmm\u2026 Mi e\u2019 venuta l\u2019acquolina in bocca! Vado a prepararmi un buon Tiramisu\u2019 salutare! <\/strong>(Mmm\u2026 my mouth is watering! I\u2019m going to prepare a nice, healthy Tiramisu\u2019!)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another recipe, and as we are in the middle of a sultry summer here in Italy, in the period known as\u00a0il solleone (the lion sun), what\u2019s better than a nice, cool,\u00a0refreshing dessert? Tiramisu\u2019 is probably the best known Italian pudding in the world, but perhaps not many people are aware of the…<\/p>\n

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