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Sean Tibbitts’ Strawberry Tiramisu

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Recommended Recipe: BelGioioso's Tiramisu recipe

Sean writes: “I served in Italy for two years as a Mormon missionary, and our favorite dessert was Tiramisù. For religious reasons, we took out the coffee and liqueur, but to us it still tasted divine. In fact, where I lived in Southern Italy, liqueur was not a normal addition to Tiramisù. In place of coffee, we used orzo (Pero, or other roasted-barley-based beverage powder) or bitter cocoa powder, dissolved in water or milk. In place of liqueur (when we did replace it) we simply used vanilla extract. During strawberry season in Messina, Sicily, I entered a baking contest against a horde of Italian mammas and won with my strawberry Tiramisù. It might be better described as a trifle (in the competition I subtitled it “zuppa di fragole"), but it's still very good. My finished product didn't win for looks, but I'm sure someone more artistic than I could make it look as heavenly as it tastes."

Ingredients

• STRAWBERRIES, lots (I bought an entire flat from the open market)
• SAVOIARDI (LADYFINGERS), lots (I used two 500-gram packages, I think).
• MASCARPONE, lots (upwards of 500 grams, or about 17.5 ounces)
• EGGS, whites and yolks separated (enough to match the amount of mascarpone, use another recipe to judge)
• SUGAR
• WHIPPING CREAM (2 pints)

Directions

1. Take lots of strawberries, washed and hulled. Cut them up and then smash them to release the juice. Sweeten to taste. If there's not much juice, add water, or smash more strawberries (the more, the better).
2. Separate the eggs and set whites aside.
3. With yolks, sugar, and mascarpone, make lots of mascarpone cream. You need a lot of cream.
4. Whip one pint of cream and fold into the mascarpone cream.
5. Last of all, whip the egg whites to hard peak and fold quickly into the mascarpone cream.
6. Line the bottom of a very, very large, high-walled casserole dish with savoiardi. (I used a dish about 15"X11")
7. Drip strawberry juice and mush over the layer of savoiardi.
8. Spread with a generous amount of mascarpone cream. Cover with savoiardi and repeat until the dish is almost full.
9. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours so the savoiardi can soften and the flavors can mix.
10. To finish, cover with a generous layer of whipped cream and garnish with strawberries (I dipped them in white and dark chocolate).