Tu Vou' Fa Italiano!

Tu Vou' Fa L'Americano ( You want to be American)
You dance rock'n'roll
You play baseball
But the money to buy Camel Cigarettes
Who gives them to you?
Your mother's purse!

This song was a social commentary about how a sub-culture of Italian people were trying so hard to be American back in the 1950's. Back then it was in vogue to be a "hip American." But today, American's will do whatever they can to lay claim to and exhibit a little bit of culture. I decided to explore my Italian roots and give my friends a little taste of Italian culture with this Tiramisu dish I made for a small dinner party. And let's just say it left them all singing To Vou' Fa Italiano!

Tiramisu Italiano
(Adapted from Tyler Florence)

Serves: 20

Ingredients
*14 egg yolks
*1 cup sugar
*2/3 cup sweet marsala, plus 2 tablespoons
*16 ounces mascarpone, softened to room temperature
*2 cup heavy cream
*1 cup brewed espresso coffee
*3 ounces dark chocolate
*1/4 cup rum
*1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
*48-55 ladyfingers
*1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder





Directions
1. Cream together egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Add 1/3 cup of the marsala and continue to whisk until mixture is thick and doubled in volume. This is basically a zabaglione. Remove from heat. Stir in the mascarpone until completely blended, cover and chill.
The zabaglione should be this texture

2. In the meantime, in a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, to lighten, cover and chill.

3. In a small saucepan, combine espresso, chocolate, rum, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons marsala. Heat gently, and stir to dissolve the chocolate. Then, chill the mixture in a small shallow pyrex or tupperware to cool it down, about 15 minutes.
4. After the coffee and mascarpone mixture are completely chilled, quickly immerse each ladyfinger in the chilled coffee mixture and arrange in a single layer on a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Do not soak the cookies too long or they will become too moist. Spread 1/2 the mascarpone cream evenly with a spatula on top of the dipped ladyfingers. Repeat with a second layer of dipped ladyfingers and remaining mascarpone cream. Sprinkle the top with cocoa powder. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
I dressed as Italian/American housewife for added effect