Miss you, kiss you, tiramisù ice cream

There’s a lot to be said for saying nothing… and scoffing a cup of make-do-tiramisu makes an excellent silencer? Tiramisù means cheer me up or pick me up.

Ahh I remember the good old ‘daze’ when loosing track of time used to be called relaxation? Iso rants, iso tiffs, iso twaddle, iso bickering, iso rows, iso discord, iso rattled, iso alliance, iso affairs. You say iso, I say ….. ice-oh-cream-oh.

The monochrome mindsets of exultant professionals (of the most cutting quarters) are becoming beleaguered wordsmiths. A courtroom peacock strut received with little more than a peahen ‘tut …. the bins need to go out tonight’ rhetoric.

T’was indeed the night before… bin day. Fridge scarification day hitherto. I find not enough of any one decent thing can be done with all the bits hanging around. A few slices of a rather decadent dark chocolate cake, are sloshed with cold espresso and a ‘decent’ amount of coffee liqueur. Over sloshed and under processed become a swift go-to-tiramisu.

Surely use up cups of random bits can bring a little levity to the everyday?

Snapped ladyfinger, savoiardi, boudoir biscuits as lummoxing, slovenly soldiers garner the sides soaking up the good gear. Wallop a little un-foiled, Italian chocolate into the centre as a surprise and then realise that the mascarpone you thought you had in the fridge is actually ricotta. Genius!

Un fluffed, remove the ‘ricotta’ from the fridge to allow it to attempt room temperature before whizzing it with some icing/powdered sugar to taste (that’s code for dip a spoon in and try a bit) whizz it up with a decent dash of sweet marsala – or vino collapso as it is mostly regarded here.

Once whipped, light and fluffy taste check again (ahem-absolutely mandatory) and generously lob the rest of the concoction, over the patiently soaking goodies . Bouff with cocoa powder /shards/ grated chocolate (all). Just wing it with what you have and hide it under the extensive guise of tiramisù!

Just before serving, it looked a tad meagre so one lurched a scoop of vanilla ice cream and slather of hot chocolate fudge sauce before serving to an ‘out for a walk’ friend who’d dragged her husband with her. They sat at the far end of our long out door table and the shouty conversation was typically louche. Job done!

Then almost ready press publish? … Nah…

Take 2 tubs of recently purchased, room temperature, mascarpone or light cream cheese. A dash of decent vanilla, a shot or two of cold espresso, a can of condensed milk, best part of half(ish) cup of icing/powdered sugar, a slug or 2 of marsala, sweet sherry or similar and since I had an unopened (until now ) bottle of coffee liqueur a splosh of that too.

This is a wing it all the way wecipe, just taste and attempt lightly whipped cream consistency. Too loose/sloshy, icing sugar will pull it back. Too thick, a drop of milk will loosen.

Rather than make a laborious raw eggy custard, the condensed milk and mascarpone combo gifts a jolly decent base. Just whip the lot together and set in any old object’virtue that is appropriate. Line with the biscuits for a più piccolo of authenticity, freeze, scoff, gloat, eat more (just to tidy the presentation) rept.