Italian Easter Celebration

By Cindy Adams

Want to change it up this Easter? Why not bring Italy to your table? We’ve collected a couple of popular Italian recipes that will be a special treat for your family and guests.

To celebrate Easter, preparing a traditional, classic Italian Easter Pie (Torta Pasqualina) is a must for most Italians. This is truly one big mama of a torta/pie – certainly so massive, time-consuming, and expensive in ingredients, that it is saved only for special celebrations such as Easter . . . this is not your average weekly or even monthly pie/ torta!

A traditional Italian classic dessert is Tiramisù. Tiramisù is one of the most famous Italian desserts in the world, born in Treviso (a lovely town near Venice), it is delicious and easy to make.

Buon appetito! We hope you enjoy these great recipes and have a Happy Easter!„

Classic Italian Tiramisu

A Classic Italian Tiramisù recipe like they serve in Italy! Creamy, light and decadent, this dessert takes only 20 minutes to prepare with only 6 ingredients! This authentic Italian tiramisù recipe is one you will find in homes and restaurants served in Italy. I’m sharing the recipe so you can bring Italy to your kitchen.

You will love the irresistibly smooth texture of the mascarpone and egg cream. This dessert is light and creamy, with just the right amount of coffee flavor. The crisp savoiardi biscuits absorb the coffee flavor and give you the best ‘pick me up’ any time of the day. It is one of my favorite desserts of all time! Tiramisu is the perfect dessert after enjoying your Authentic Torta Pasqualina/Italian Easter Pie.

INGREDIENTS:

5 eggs (separate yolks and whites in two bowls)
5 tablespoons of white sugar
1 lb of Mascarpone
3 cups of room temperature Espresso or coffee
30 ladyfingers
unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS:

You will need a 9X13 pan, set aside.

Make the Espresso or coffee and set aside in a dish that is deep enough to dip the biscuits.

Separate egg whites from yolks and remember that in order to whip the egg whites there should not be any trace of yolk.

Egg Whites: Place the egg whites in a mixer. Whip the egg whites for about 5 minutes, or until they reach soft peaks. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

Egg Yolks: Place the egg yolks in the mixer and mix together with the sugar on low speed for about 3 minutes, until creamy and fully combined.

Mascarpone: add mascarpone cheese to the yolk mixture in 2 to 3 additions. Mix on low/medium speed until combined and uniform.

Add 1/3 of the egg whites at a time into the mascarpone cream mixture. Then, gently mix it in with a spatula from the downside to the upside so that your egg whites don’t lose their fluffiness. Set the cream in the fridge until ready to use.

Meanwhile, quickly dip the ladyfinger biscuits into the coffee for about 1 second on each side. Do not over soak or your tiramisu will turn out soggy. You want your biscuits to absorb enough liquid to make them moist and give them flavor.

Place each ladyfinger at the bottom of the baking dish and continue the process until the whole base is covered with ladyfingers.

Spread half of the prepared mascarpone cream gently over the ladyfinger base, making sure they’re evenly covered.

Repeat the process of soaking the ladyfingers in the coffee. Then, layer them over the cream, until is fully covered.

Finally, spread the remaining mascarpone cream evenly on top of the ladyfingers. Place Tiramisù in the fridge, and allow to set 6 hours, (it’s even better if you leave it overnight). Just before serving it, dust the dessert with cocoa powder. Enjoy!