The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.
RECIPE SOURCE:
Mascarpone Cheese – Vera’s Recipe (Baking Obsession) for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese.


Savoiardi/ Ladyfinger Biscuits – Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home


Tiramisu – Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007
Tiramisu is said to have its origins in Treviso (Italy), and there are quite a few stories about how it came to be created.



One story traces the tiramisu as far back as the Renaissance claiming that it was first made in honour of the visit of Grand Duke Cosimo di Medici to Tuscany. Yet another one points to the tiramisu being an adaptation of the “Zuppa Inglese” referring to the sponge cake and cream layered English Trifle.


However, experts in this area generally agree that the tiramisu as we know it today, was born in the ‘70s.


Some believe that the Tiramisu was created in the the Le Beccherie (a restaurant in Treviso). Ohters suggest that Tiramisu was first made in 1971 by an Italian baker named Carminantonio Iannaccone in a small bakery in Treviso, Italy.
I’m a few days late with this post. Never have I really felt that February was the shortest day of the month than now. There never seems to be enough time. And what little free time there is, I don’t feel compelled to fill it up with another activity. Coco Cooks kitchen has been a little slow on the baking activity this month. My kitchen still is not right from Certain Someone repainting of the condo, and until I get my new shelves and get organized, it will be hard to focus.

I did the components on separate days. I found my cream while making Mascarpone did not reach 190 degrees, but it set nevertheless. I ran out of sugar and used confectioners in the whipped cream. To sweeten the coffee brew I took the remaining few tablespoons of sugar and added Kahlúa as it was sweet and coffee flavored. I used little mini loaf pans to make 2 full Tiramisu and 1 with the left over odds and ends. They froze beautifully and will be excellent to take out when and if we need a dessert in a jam. All in all it was very good and not too sweet. My only issue with the recipe was the Zabaglione. Maybe it was to wordy with all the components and I lost something. But my Zabaglione did not double in volume, nor did he recipe state it should. This is not a dessert I normally am a big fan of, but I would make this again. I decided to garnish my dessert with some beautiful fresh cherries that I saw in the store from Argentina. I know they aren’t local or seasonal, but I wanted them. I roasted them in Balsamic and Brown Sugar. A great a zingy addition to this dessert especially with the cocoa powder.

Thanks to Aparna and Deeba for a true challenge. Be sure to check out the other Daring Bakers. Cherries