‘Tira mi sù’ means pick-me-up in Italian and refers to the hit of coffee that you get from the coffee soaked savoiardi biscuits in this delicious Italian dessert.
I’ve always been a lover of Tiramisù and find it one of the most delicious of the Italian desserts. Indeed, there aren’t actually that many proper famous Italian desserts. We more regularly favour after dinner fruit served to us direct from our father’s paring knife or Italian biscuits (like cantucci or nacatoli, or that delicious biscuit/dessert hybrid the cannoli) to be enjoyed with coffee, rather than a plated dessert.
But, the Tiramisù has a special place in many a heart. In the past I’ve shared recipes for Tiramisù in the form of the traditional version of the dessert, or a semifreddo version, or even a tiramisù filled easter egg found here. Alas it has been almost exactly 3 years since my last Tiramisù flavoured recipe so its time to bring you the incredible flavours of the tiramisù again, but this time in tart form.
There were a few reasons for this tart version of the Tiramisù. Firstly, I was sent a gorgeous rose gold perforated tart case from Wiltshire which creates perfectly crisp tart shells thanks to the perforations in the pan providing even heat distribution when baking.
Secondly, even though I am now lactose intolerant (thanks to having my little one a couple of years ago and magically developing an intolerance) I haven’t really had Tiramisù since, and was craving it. Sometimes you gotta roll the lactose intolerance dice and see where they land. Update: they didn’t land in my favour.
Thirdly, I had some great ideas about how I wanted to make the Tiramisù flavours sing and knew that I could incorporate them in an interesting way (starting with the coffee flavoured shortcrust).
This recipe starts with a homemade coffee shortcrust which uses instant coffee to add that much needed coffee flavour to the tart, then inside is a thin layer of a boozy Frangelico infused chocolate ganache and to top if off it has a Mascarpone cream.
Now I did try this the traditional way with a cream free mascarpone zabaglione but the texture and density just wasn’t right for the crisp tart case, so I opted for a slightly less traditional – but much easier to make – Mascarpone cream.
The resulting tart has everything you want from a Tiramisu with the coffee, alcohol, mascarpone and chocolate flavour but with the added bonus of the crisp textural crust. Enjoy!
Tiramisù Tart
Ingredients
Pastry
- 150g cold butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup (55g) icing sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee
- 225g plain flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon iced water
Ganache
- 70g dark chocolate, coarsley chopped
- 30g milk chocolate, coarsley chopped
- 130ml thickened cream
- 30ml Frangelico liqueur (or brandy)
Mascarpone cream
- 380ml thickened cream
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar
- 250g mascarpone cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- Cocoa powder, to serve
Directions
To make the pastry, grind the instant coffee into a powder using either a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a food processor with butter and icing sugar and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and iced water and pulse until the pastry comes together in a ball. If the pastry has not formed a ball add extra iced water 1/2 tablespoon at a time until this happens. Form pastry into a disc, wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Roll the pastry out to a large circle in between 2 sheets of baking paper ensuring it is big enough to cover the base and sides of the tart tin. Remove 1 sheet of baking paper and flip the pastry into the tin gently, removing the other sheet of baking paper once the pastry is on the tin. Gently press the pastry into the base and sides of the tart tin and then trim the pastry until it is levelwith the tin. Prick the base of the tart tin with the tynes of a fork and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Line the pastry with baking paper and baking weights and bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for an additional 12 minutes until pastry is golden. Remove from oven and set aside completely.
To make the ganache, cut the chocolate into tiny pieces and place in a metal bowl. Add the cream to a microwave safe bowl and microwave in short bursts until just boiling. Add the Frangelico and stir to combine, then pour over the chocolate. Let it stand for a minute to allow the chocolate to melt. Whisk the mixture until completely combined and smooth then allow to cool and pour into the cooled tart cake. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
For the mascarpone cream combine the cream and icing sugar in a large bowl and mix until stiff peaks form. Add the mascarpone and vanilla bean paste and mix until just combined. Fill the remainder of the tart case to the top with the mascarpone cream and level until smooth then transfer the remaining mixture to a piping bag with a large French piping tip (or a large round piping tip) and pipe small dollops of the mixture on top of the tart. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours until completely set and then
sprinkle with cocoa powder and serve.
Chew Town was gifted the Rose Gold perforated round quiche and tart pan from Wiltshire with thanks. This pan and the rest of the Wiltshire rose gold range can be purchased from Wiltshire, Coles and independent homewares stores around Australia. To read Chew Town’s disclosure policy please visit the About page.
