A Big Kahuna's Birthday

It's fall and that means cooler darker nights, brilliant rainbows of leaves, pumpkin carving, and most of all birthday season in my household. We have three down and one to go. The lineup starts with me, then my brother, then Dad and last but not least Mom's next month. My brother's was October 6, but I wasn't able to spend it with him. Happy Belated Birthday T! He's in London in the middle of National T's European Vacation. I'm sad I couldn't celebrate it with him, but after getting messages from him on the Champs Elysees, the sadness was fleeting. Dad's birthday happens to be today.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad's weekend birthday festivities started Sunday night (the beginning of my weekend). I escaped work and got on a train home at a decent hour. But the miracle doesn't stop there. It was one of the few times I can count on my hand that I wasn't racing down Track 15 in Grand Central Station yelling "BEEP! What the BEEP!" at the Metro North conductor for pulling out of the station a minute early, according to my watch. I arrived in New Canaan, Dad pulled up in our shiny yellow FJ Cruiser "Goldfinger," and we zipped off to enjoy a hearty Italian dinner at DiNardo's in Pound Ridge.

Monday I decided to prepare a birthday dinner for Dad. I knew I'd be heading home to the city Tuesday night and wouldn't have time to prepare a meal or relax to enjoy it. After the hefty dinner we had Sunday, I decided to go easy on us both. We'd start with a caprese salad and prosciutto, followed by a chicken Caesar salad for the main course (or any version of chicken and salad). I've gotten into countless arguments with Mom and Dad about what constitutes a "Caesar" salad. They don't seem to comprehend once you put in mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, and ranch dressing it's no longer a Caesar salad. Dad drowned his salad in ranch and I stuck to the traditional Caesar. I think I got an, "Aren't you going to put anything else in that?" but just shook my head laughing, "No, Dad." After salad, I splurged on a surprise birthday dessert.

Dad has a sweet tooth, but it's not wild like the rest of ours in the family. We melt for cookie cakes (or icebox cakes), homemade cookies, cupcakes, apple pies (actually any fruit pies), cheesecakes, key lime pies, chocolate, and the occasional SnoBall. When I was picking out a dessert for Dad I wanted it to be Italian. He likes all the fancy Italian pastries, which are well beyond my baking expertise. I stuck to something I could make and fairly easily : tiramisu.

We've eaten tiramisu in many restaurants, and I knew it would be intimidating to make one that would hold up to anything we'd eaten out, but I was willing to put in the effort. It's the thought that counts, right?

I found two recipes I managed to converge. One from Rao's Cookbook written by Frank Pellegrino and one from Every Night Italian by Giuliano Hazan. The bulk of the recipe comes from the latter. The one thing I was not able to find was the liqueur Hazan recommends Strega. Translated from Italian Strega means witch, so some crazy things must happen to people once they drink it. I used Kahlua instead, which was acceptable according to Pellegrino.

Here's what I ended up using:

(the following three ingredients are what you will end up dipping the ladyfingers in)

3 tbl light brown sugar
3 tbl instant espresso powder, or 6 cups of espresso ready-to-drink
1 tbl cocoa powder

(for the creamy mixture)

4 large yolks
5 tbl granulated sugar
3 tbl Strega liqueur, brandy, or Kahlua
2 tbl dark rum
1 container (500g) mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream

8 ounces dry ladyfingers, also called Savoiardi

(this will be sprinkled on top of the finished product)
1/2 cup grated bittersweet chocolate

Make the coffee and pour into a bowl wide enough to use for soaking the ladyfingers in. Set it aside to cool.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat at a high speed until the mixture is pale yellow and forms soft ribbons. Now, this is what the book said. But I never saw any ribbons. Just beat it until it gets thick and stop. I think I walked away daydreaming about a boy and came back never having seen any ribbons.

Add the Strega (or Kahlua or brandy-if you add all three, heaven help you) and dark rum and continue mixing until well blended. Mix in the mascarpone, two to four tablespoons at a time, being careful not to overwhip or the mixture might break.

In a separate mixing bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks. Again, this lingo kills me. Just whip it until it's thick and you can steal a thick finger of whipped cream. Carefully fold it into the mascarpone mixture with a rubber spatula.

Soak the ladyfingers in the coffee, one or two at a time, allowing the liquid to penetrate them completely, and arrange half of them in a single layer in an 8 x 11 x 2 inch serving dish that is at least one and a half inches deep. Alert! DO NOT SOAK! Hold onto them for dear life, with two hands if you have to, and dip them in and out quickly. You will be amazed how fast they get soggy. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Cover with another layer of dipped ladyfingers and spread the remaining mascarpone mixture on top. Put the cocoa or chocolate or both in a fine-mesh strainer or sifter and sprinkle over the top.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, or at least overnight. When ready to serve, cut the tiramisu into square portions with a metal spatula and place them on flat dessert plates. For a nice finishing touch, sprinkle the fresh cocoa on top before serving.

This serves about 12 people, or two for about a month.

I was pleasantly surprised, despite the bottom layer of my ladyfingers being completely soaked through in the coffee mixture. I warned Dad and he said that's how it's supposed to be. Well, yes and no. I learned my lesson too late, but Dad did seem to enjoy my tiramisu. That or he's a good faker. Since it's just him in Connecticut (Mom's in Camp Carmel), I ended up taking a lot back with me to the city. It's sitting in my fridge if anybody wants to do some sampling. Come on over. Mi casa es su casa.

Buon Compleanno Papa!