Coffee and cream

The classic tiramisu is a mix of these two. But chefs around the city are recreating this delightful dessert in varied flavours

The classic tiramisu is a mix of these two. But chefs around the city are recreating this delightful dessert in varied flavours

TIRAMISU literally means pick-me-up. Its origin has been much debated. Some believe it originated in Siena in 1652 as the dessert Zuppa del Duca or the Duke's Pudding to commemorate Grand Duke Cosimo III De'Medici.

Others say that it is more recent. If Giuseppe Maffioli, an Italian wine and food consultant is to be believed, the dessert was invented in a restaurant in Treviso in 1970. The not so coy bunch are of the opinion that tiramisu, true to its meaning of pick-me-up, is actually an aphrodisiac. A bottle of Zabaglione custard, which Maffioli says, the tiramisu is an improved version of, was presented to newly wed couples to ensure a triumphant honeymoon. Courtesans in Venice used to serve tiramisu to their customers so that they could go about their day's activities after a romp. Italian chef Oriana Tirabassi, who is the chef de cuisine at JW Marriott, says, "Legend has it that one spoon of tiramisu can cure your problems... for a minute. It was used as a tool of seduction as the first taste is that of sweet which lingers on the tip of the tongue."u00a0

The classic tiramisu was made with Italian cream cheese or Mascarpone (made from milk derived from cows fed a special diet of grass and herbs), egg white and egg yolk all whipped together with some sugar and cocoa powder thrown in. This mixture was alternately layered with Savoiardi or ladyfinger biscuits (dry sponge cakes shaped like fingers), dipped in espresso. It was let to stand in a freezer for a few hours while the biscuit, or biscotti as the Italians pronounce it, soaked in all the cream cheese and espresso. At times liqueur was also used instead or along with the espresso.u00a0u00a0

In recent times to suit the experimentative palate, chefs are infusing a variety of variations to the tiramisu. If coffee is the main feature of a tiramisu, the chefs at China House, the Chinese restaurant at the Grand Hyatt are turning it around and using tea instead. And not just any tea. Keeping in mind the Oriental authenticity that they pride themselves with, jasmine tea is used, lending the name to the dessert Jasmine tea-ramisu. A chef at the restaurant demonstrates the process.

He insists that the Mascarpone be whipped lightly for fear of it tearing. The egg yolk should be beaten at a much faster pace. He whips the mixture of Mascarpone, egg yolk, egg white and sugar water. Then for the main ingredient, he dips the ladyfinger biscuit in jasmine tea that is prepared the conventional way. Then he dusts the final layer with icing sugar to mask the bitterness of the sprinkling of powdered dried jasmine tealeaves. The dessert is served with an orange ice cream. It's creamy, with a light flavour of jasmine tea.

However, even with the icing sugar, the strong taste of the dried jasmine tealeaves is overpowering.
At some places, along with doing away with coffee, the ladyfinger biscuits too are skipped. At the Four Seasons, they serve a raspberry tiramisu and a combination of caramel and green apple, served individually or in a platter of three, in small glasses. The puree of fresh raspberries goes first, as the base, then a generous dollop of the whipped mixture and then again a layer of raspberry puree. Chocolate shavings are used to garnish. Three layers are used here with no ladyfinger biscuits dipped in the raspberry sauce. The sauce is tangy, though the Savoiardi would have given it that extra bite. Says Executive Chef Giancarlo de Francesco, "The Mascarpone itself has a neutral taste. Kahlua liqueur goes well with it as do almond cookies."

Working on the same lines, assistant pastry chef, Chef Rashan Elavia at the Leela prepares a spread of tiramisus with distinct flavours strawberry, butterscotch, and fruit of the season mango. She claims that these go best with the neutral taste of the cream cheese. She has dipped the ladyfinger biscuits in the respective sauces and then layered it with highest quality Mascarpone, which like other hotels do, is imported from Italy.

She says, "The flavour should not be overpowering but you should get just a hint of it." And just as she claims, her tiramisus have a sublime taste of the fruits and nuts she has used.

If you like the nutty variety, the hazelnut tiramisu at the Renaissance, Powai is a must try. Along with the hazelnut tiramisu, Chef Satej, senior sous chef of Lake View Cafu00e9 makes a pina colada tiramisu with pineapple and coconut and a ginger one. The last is quite an innovation and tastes divine. It's just the right amount of creaminess and the ginger is so subtle that you want to order a next one just to make sure that ginger was used. Chef Satej suggests, "Keep it simple and don't play with the basics."

While preparing the tiramisu, a few places avoid adding liquor as they receive a variety of guests, some of who might be teetotalers. One fine dining restaurant that does serve its orange tiramisu with alcohol is Melting Pot in Juhu. Corporate chef Saby Fernandes uses an orange liqueur to go with the orange tiramisu. The chocolate as a garnish also has a hint of orange. Yet all come together so well that the orange flavour, despite being present in three different forms, is subtle. Chef Fernandes says, "Food is a science. I don't prepare something I'm not comfortable with." He says that the best successors to a tiramisu are a great coffee-based liqueur followed by a shot of strong espresso.

Alcohol might not be used in large amounts in the tiramisu made by Chef Oriana Tirabassi at the Marriott but it certainly makes you feel closer to heaven. Banana, strawberry, mango on a base of pistachio biscuit and a chocolate tiramisu is served. She says, "Tiramisu is not white but yellow. The whipped cream added to make it thinner, lighter and increase the portions makes it white." She says the accompaniments should ideally be of the same flavour and hence the mango tiramisu is served with mango gelato and mango sorbet. The ladyfinger biscuits are not layered with the cream but simply placed in the bowl.

Variety might be the spice of life and most chefs subscribe to experimentation with Chef Francesco stating, "One must be innovative and think out of the box. It is a must to refresh the palate of beautiful ladies." But when it comes to sweet, most still prefer the classics. Tiramisu in its original form with espresso is a favourite over the variations. Chef Francesco continues, "Indians and Italians are very scared about their food and do not like to experiment much." However, there is a debate about what 'conventional' really is. Chef Tirabassi says, "Guests ask me to make tiramisu the traditional way, but I don't know what is traditional for them. I don't know which chef has earlier prepared a tiramisu for them."

The debate might continue but true tiramisu lovers will continue to devour spoonfuls of the dessert and leave their problems behind... just for a minute.