Aggravation and Tiramisù

Okay, not to be negative but here are a few things that bugged me when we lived in Verona.

Number One:   I needed to go to the post office to pay the gas and electric bill.  The first time I had all three kids with me.  People didn’t wait in nice neat lines.  They bunched.  Christopher squirmed in my arms and managed to get down.  The other two kids wandered off and I lost my place.  After I gathered up my cherubs, no one was going to let me back in.  I was on the periphery of the bunch.  I never took the kids again.  And I learned to be more forceful, inserting myself into the tight knot of people.

Number Two:  I was a regular customer at the fruttivendolo, the greengrocer down the street.  In Italy as in France, the customer is not supposed to touch the produce. She/he is served by the greengrocer.  I went there every other day buying fruit and vegetables.  I was a good customer but if I didn’t watch, the fruttivendolo would try and slip a rotten orange or some bruised fennel into the sack. It was a game.  I would say, “Oh,Oh, looks like that one is bruised.”  He would respond, “Oh, sorry Signora.” and looked very apologetic.   We went through the same farce every time!

Number Three:  At that time in Italy, a wife had to have her husband’s permission to execute a banking transaction. One day I went to the bank to withdraw money.  I was asked if I had a letter from my husband! Give me a break!  They had to call Vincent to see if I had his permission.  As a wife, I had no authority.  I wonder if this has changed?  It’s been 40 years.  Are women fully emancipated yet?

Oh dear all this has depressed me.  I need something to cheer me up.  Maybe a piece of Tiramisù.  After all Tiramisù means to pull me up.  Here’s a recipe that’s bound to give you a lift.

Tiramisù 

Ingredients:

6 pasteurized eggs, separated

2/3 cup sugar plus 3 Tablespoons

2 cups mascarpone, room temperature 

2 cups strong espresso coffee, cooled.

1/2 cup brandy or rum or Marsala or ???

30-32  crispy Italian ladyfinger cookies (Bonomi - Savoyard)

Modus Operandi:

1. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, slowly add 1/3 c. sugar.  Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.
2. Beat the egg yolks with 1/3 c. sugar until light.
3. Add the mascarpone to the egg yolks 1/2 cup at a time, beating until smooth.
4. Carefully fold the eggs whites into the yolks until they are fully incorporated. 
5. Mix the coffee, the liquor of your choice and 3 T. sugar in a bowl
6. Spread a third of the egg mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
7. Dip the Ladyfingers into the coffee/liquor until soaked but not soggy.
8. Neatly layer the cookies over the egg cream. 
9. Cover with 1/3 of the egg cream. Add another layer of cookies.  Cover with the rest of the egg cream.
10. Sift unsweetened cocoa powder on the top. 
11. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

You're bound to feel cheery after a slice of this decadent piece of heaven.