Beeramisu
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott, adapted from David Berchiatti
Preparation time: 25 minutes plus overnight chilling
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 7-8
- 5 egg yolks
- 150g/5ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 360g/12.7ozs. mascarpone, placed at room temperature for an hour
- 400ml/14flozs. cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 375ml/13flozs. chocolate porter or stout beer, chilled (you won't need it all for this)
- 28 sponge fingers (around 230g/8.1ozs)
- 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Step 1 - Place a mixing bowl and whisk in the fridge to chill and spray a 23cmx13cmX9cm (9x5x3.5inch) loaf tin with non stick oil spray. Line the base and long sides of the tin with cling film with enough overhang to fold the cling film over the top once filled. I put parchment on the shorter sides as it can be a challenge getting all that cling film to line properly.
Step 2 - Whisk eggs and sugar in a double boiler (ie a heatproof bowl sitting snugly above a pot of gently simmering water). Whisk until thick and the sugar has dissolved and no longer feels gritty between your fingers (it will take around 10 minutes). Whisk in the mascarpone until you get a smooth mixture. The mixture now needs to be completely cooled - place it in the fridge until you need it.
Step 3 - Whip the cream and vanilla in the fridge chilled bowl and whisk until soft (not stiff) peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mix.
Step 4 - Place some of the chocolate beer in a bowl wide enough to dip a sponge finger and dip the biscuit in for a second and do not let it soak. Let the excess drip off and place the savoiardi sugar side down in the tin lining them up. Spread a third of the mascarpone mix over and then repeat with the remaining savoiardi biscuits and mascarpone making four layers of biscuits ending on the soaked biscuits. Fold over the cling film and refrigerate overnight or for 2 nights.
Step 5 - Unfurl the cling film at the top and then place it on a serving platter. Gently upturn the mold and remove the cling film. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.