This post was sponsored by Kitchen PLAY on behalf of DaVinci Wine. All thoughts, views and opinions expressed are my own.
Strawberry Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a layered dessert of Italian origin. It layers espresso soaked ladyfingers with a heavenly mixture of sweetened mascarpone cheese, velvety cooked eggs, sweet sugar mixture, fluffy whipped egg whites and whipped cream. Centered between espresso soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone is a layer of syrupy strawberries that blanket the dish. It’s topped with sifted cocoa powder, grated chocolate and dark chocolate curls.
Tiramisu. The first time I tried it was about 15 years ago when I was going through my everything Italian food phase. It also happened to be the first time I enjoyed coffee in dessert, especially since it brought out the cocoa flavor dusted on top. Nearly 15 years later and I’m still the tiramisu fanatic I was of yester-years. I’m that person who scrolls the dessert menu at restaurants in hopes of finding my one and only true love–tiramisu.
To this day, I still remember the first homemade tiramisu mom made me. It was luscious, decadent and sinfully rich. It was everything you wanted a dessert to be; I was addicted.
Today, I’ve adapted my favorite tiramisu recipe to include strawberries. It still has the same great coffee taste, but just not as much coffee drenched flavor that blankets the dish as traditionally seen. Strawberries truly make this dish a one of a kind dessert. It lends a unique flavor that pairs perfectly with espresso and DaVinci Pinot Grigio Wine.
Throughout the years, I’ve served this dish for dinner parties, special cocktail occasions and cold winter holidays. This no-bake dessert is served cold and is perfect for a hot summer day as well. It’s almost always requested for birthday parties, too. It’s my go-to dessert recipe when I host a girls’ night at the house.
I always serve it with DaVinci Pinot Grigio Wine, fresh fruit, cheese and other Italian appetizers. DaVinci delle Venezie Pinot Grigio is full and ripe, characterized by notes of apple, tropical and citrus fruits. DaVinci Wines are produced by the Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, a cooperative of more than 200 passionate local winegrowers nestled near the Tuscan hillside town of Vinci, the historic birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. It’s the perfect complement to any Italian dinner party flare and one that guests ask for over and over again.
The expert growers and winemakers for DaVinci produce authentic, high-quality Italian wines, including both Chianti and Pinot Grigio.
Tuscany is well-known as the home of the Chianti grape, while grapes for DaVinci Pinot Grigio are grown in northeastern Italy.
The cool evenings and warm days of northeastern Italy are suited to producing crisp, elegant Pinot Grigio grapes, resulting in a wine that is more acidic and less sweet, which ultimately pairs better with food than many domestic Pinot Grigio wines. The clean, crisp finish and natural acidity makes DaVinci Pinot Grigio very food-friendly, so it can pair with many of your favorite foods, from burgers to seafood to dessert. It is a wonderfully versatile white wine that can be served for just about any occasion.
What are your favorite dishes to serve with Pinot Grigio?
Strawberry Tiramisu
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs (, separated)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup confectioners ((powdered) sugar, sifted)
- 16 ounces (450 grams) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons meringue powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
- 40, divided ladyfingers (, I used gluten-free)
- 16 ounces strawberries in syrup (, at room temperature)
- 1 pint strawberries (, sliced)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons meringue powder
- cocoa powder (, dusted)
- bittersweet chocolate (, grated for garnish)
- dark chocolate curls (, for garnish)
Instructions
- Slice strawberries. Brew coffee according to package directions; set aside. Separate egg whites and egg yolks, save both and set aside.
- In a large heatproof bowl or pot, whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar and confectioners sugar until smooth and pale in color. Place the bowl/pot containing the egg yolk-sugar mixture over a pot of boiling water (so that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water) and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly (don't allow the mixture to curdle). Transfer the mixture into a larger bowl and allow to cool. Fold the mascarpone cheese into the egg-sugar mixture. Stir in vanilla extract
- Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Start egg whites on low until frothy. Add 1 + 1/2 teaspoons meringue powder and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Turn to high and beat until peaks form and mixture is stiff. Gently fold it into the egg/mascarpone mixture. Place in the fridge until needed again.
- Dip 20 ladyfingers in coffee/espresso and lay in rows in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) dish, cutting any lady fingers to fit in the pan as you go.
- Using a spatula, spread half of the cooled mascarpone mixture on top.
- Dip 20 ladyfingers in the strawberries and syrup mixture. Gently roll ladyfingers to soak up the juice. Place in pan using the same design as first layer. Evenly spread 3/4 cup strawberries in syrup liquid on top of ladyfingers.
- Cover with remaining mascarpone mixture.
- In a bowl fit with an electric mixer, beat 1 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon meringue powder. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Evenly spread whipped cream on top.
- Using a fine mess strainer, dust generously with sifted cocoa powder. Grate semisweet chocolate on top. Garnish with dark chocolate curls.
- Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours, preferable overnight.
28 Comments
Chelsea Damon
09/30/2016 at 12:28 pmYum yum yum this looks fantactic! Pinning to my dessert board for later!
Terri Steffes
09/30/2016 at 4:31 pmI am most certain to give this a try. We love tiramisu in our house and a good Pinot Grigio!
Debra
09/30/2016 at 8:23 pmThat dessert looks amazing, I want to take a bite right now! I’ve never made it before but anything strawberry is my kind of dessert!
Felicita Moncada
09/30/2016 at 10:51 pmI am love this twist on tiramisu! Strawberries? Genius! I think it is the perfect compliment. Now I want tiramisu… ha!
MyTeenGuide
09/30/2016 at 11:39 pmThat looks amazing! Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. I can’t wait to try your recipe.
jill conyers
10/01/2016 at 2:33 amI love the wonderful layers of flavors in this dessert. Can you believe I’ve never eaten Tiaramasu?
Kim
10/01/2016 at 8:11 amI love Pinot Grigio and this would be delicious with it. Love the fresh strawberries.
Jeanine
10/01/2016 at 8:26 amWow. How amazing does that strawberry tiramisu look? I’ve never tried anything like that but I can tell you I would probably eat the whole thing lol!
karen
10/01/2016 at 9:05 amAh.. dying over these photos of this yummy dessert! I so want to grab a fork and take a bite through the computer screen! Delish!
Taylor Mobley
10/01/2016 at 12:26 pmI am DYING OVER THIS! My mouth is actually watering. It looks AMAZING. I need to make it right now!
Teresa | Simply Made Fun
10/01/2016 at 12:58 pmIt’s terrible but I’m Italian and have never had tiramisu! I need to try it. haha Your recipe looks so delicious! I love anything that has strawberries in it!
Angela @marathonsandmotivation.com
10/01/2016 at 2:38 pmI love tiramisu! I have never tried it with strawberries though, Yum!! I am going to make this for dessert for after our Sunday dinner.
Amber Nelson
10/01/2016 at 5:48 pmThat looks delightful! I can’t wait to make this recipe. I bet it tastes amazing.
Blythe Alpern
10/01/2016 at 9:43 pmI’ve made tiramisu in such a long time, and now I’m feeling inspired to whip one up. I like the idea of using strawberries to add a new layer of flavor.
Heather
10/02/2016 at 8:44 amI love tiramisu, but I have only ever had the traditional kind. I think this looks delicious!
Nicole Escat
10/02/2016 at 6:49 pmI love tiramisu but I haven’t tried making one. This is a lovely dessert.
Whitney S
10/03/2016 at 3:17 amStrawberry is one of my favorite flavors. All of those layers look so delicious!
Amanda Love
10/03/2016 at 3:52 amThis looks so good! I can’t wait to try it. Tiramisu is one of my favorites and it’s quite easy to make as well, it’s the perfect dessert for the season. It’s comforting and very yummy!
Julie
10/03/2016 at 8:24 amJust pinned this to my dessert board because…WOW! It looks so yummy!
Brittany Fryman
10/03/2016 at 11:43 amMy family has so strawberry addicts so they would all LOVE this – plus they all have a sweet tooth. I’m saving this to try next strawberry season!