SHORTBREAD TIRAMISU + CHOCOLATE

Usually made with light and sweet ladyfinger sponges, this version of tiramisu adds a tiny modern twist to the traditional presentation.  It is meant to look like an ice cream sandwich that is much sexier and way more grown up. Hardly revolutionary, I used shortbread cookies and shaved semi-sweet chocolate to be a little playful. My point is that you don’t need fancy equipment or ultra-modern tools in order for a dish to be visually stimulating and surprising. Something that is traditional, and absolutely wonderful in its traditional form, can still be spruced up every now and again to add some vibrancy and a bit of wonder. Life and the experiences it contains, expressions of fashion and human capability, arts and language, music and drama all evolve to the suit the time. I attended a small production of Taming of the Shrew this summer that incorporated “google” and “wtf” into the dialogue and it was tremendously entertaining. So too should food evolve. This is why I believe that as a cook you should challenge yourself to be adventurous and be playful. In the end, wtf do you have to lose? Happy playing.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

·         180 ml heavy cream

·         4 tbsp icing sugar

·         250 g mascarpone cheese

·         4 tbsp brandy

·         1 vanilla pod

·         200 ml espresso

·         24 shortbread cookies

·         50 g semi-sweet baker’s chocolate

·         Cocoa powder to dust

-          Combine the cream with 3 tbsp of the cream in a mixing bowl with a whisk until the mixture has thickened

-          Beat in the mascarpone with 3 tbsp of the brandy and the scraped seeds of the vanilla pod

-          Meanwhile, slightly sweeten the espresso with the remaining icing sugar and add the rest of the brandy

-          Quickly dip 4 shortbread cookies in the espresso making sure not to immerse the cookies in the coffee as they will disintegrate

-          Use these cookies to create the base of the tiramisu on the serving plate

-          Put the mascarpone into a piping bag with a star or other desirable tip

-          Pipe a little mascarpone over each cookie

-          Repeat the dipping step for 4more cookies and layer on top of the piped mascarpone

-          Repeat the piping step over each cookie

-          Place the serving plate in the refridgerator for at least 15 minutes

-          During this time, using a vegetable peeler, create chocolate shavings from the semi-sweet chocolate

-          Remove the tiramisu from the fridge and scatter shavings in the center of the tiramisu

-          Using a sieve, sprinkle cocoa over the tiramisu in one straight line across the dish and serve immediately