L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear Readers, January is a month when we can all use a little "pick m e u p , " s o I t h o u g h t I would reprint my original column on tiramisù! As 2023 begins, my little c o r n e r o f t h e w o r l d , t h e Italian Connection column (est. 1977) has been com- fortably ensconced in the pages of L'Italo-Ameri- cano for over 45 years. I have spotlighted subjects from A to Z (Alberobello to Zambaglione), but the col- umn that has generated the m o s t m a i l a n d r e p r i n t r e q u e s t s s i n c e i t f i r s t appeared in 1999, is the one I wrote about tiramisù. So, here we go again! *** " Dear Italian Connec- tion, W h a t e x a c t l y i s t h i s "tiramisù" dessert I've been f i n d i n g o n r e s t a u r a n t menus lately? Where did it originate? I've looked in a dozen cookbooks and it is nowhere to be found. M.R. "Cara M.R., " I k n o w a l l a b o u t tiramisù because in 1992 I had the pleasure of meeting Mario Trecco's (editor in 1999) sister Idelma and her husband Vittorio Tortella in San Francisco. They told me that they owned a pas- t r y s h o p a n d a b a r i n Pescatina (Verona). I asked Idelma what was the spe- cialty of the house, and she said tiramisù. " A s I w a n t e d t o k n o w w h a t i t w a s , s h e t o l d m e that Vittorio, her husband, who is the pasticciere (pas- t r y b a k e r ) o f t h e h o u s e , knew the whole, true story. And so he began: 'The first tiramisù was made quite by accident. A group of busi- nessmen concluded a long day by having dinner in the restaurant of Hotel Carlet- t o , i n T r e v i s o , s o m e 2 0 m i l e s n o r t h o f V e n i c e . I k n e w t h e c h e f o f t h a t restaurant, he was also a good pastry baker. At the e n d o f t h e d i n n e r , t h e group of men told the chef, Now we need a nice dessert to pick us up! (The Italian words used were per tirarci su). The chef did not have any read made-dessert, but he said, I'll prepare some- thing for you in no time. He put together some mas- carpone (a kind of butter- like ricotta), egg yolks and s u g a r . H e i n s e r t e d s o m e savoiardi cookies (lady fin- g e r s ) s o a k e d i n a c o f f e e l i q u e u r o f l o w a l c o h o l i c content and he served it in a c u p , a f t e r s p r a y i n g s o m e w h i p p e d c r e a m o n t o p , together with a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Before long, the tasty treat was replicat- ed across Italy.' "American food editors w h o h a d v i s i t e d V e n i c e were excitedly telling their A m e r i c a n r e a d e r s a b o u t their latest Italian dessert d i s c o v e r y , t i r a m i s ù , describing it as a 'simple- to-make luxurious Italian dessert, consisting of layers of mascarpone cheese and l a d y f i n g e r s d e l i c a t e l y soaked in espresso, with a hint of Marsala or liqueur.' Upscale Italian restaurants f r o m t h e A t l a n t i c t o t h e Pacific suddenly sprouted tiramisù versions for their m e n u s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , some efforts were more "'et me down' than 'pick me up.' But practice makes perfect, and some local versions of t i r a m i s ù a r e r e a l l y q u i t e lovely. *** F u r t h e r d o w n i n m y a n s w e r t o M . R . , I s a i d : " The reason you cannot find a good tiramisù recipe in most cookbooks is that it is not an old Italian specialty with a long heritage, but a relatively new one, inspired by a tired customer and a pastry baker and his wife in Treviso, who were simply doing their best to provide g o o d , o l d - f a s h i o n e d c u s - Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. tomer service. "And since you won't find it in the older cookbooks here is a recipe for tiramisù t h a t I c u t o f f a p a c k e t o f lady finger biscuits. You can substitute soft cream cheese or ricotta for the mascar- pone cheese if you can't find it easily, but the quality will suffer. Add a little liqueur to this, if you like: "Tiramisù (makes 4 to 6 servings) 7 oz champagne biscuits or lady fingers (I suggest you use a packet of Matilde Vicenzi's champagne lady finger biscuits, but any vari- ety will do!) 7 oz mascarpone cheese 2 oz sugar 1 cup of espresso or very strong black coffee Cocoa for dusting "Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks and the s u g a r t o g e t h e r i n t o a smooth creamy consistency. Add the mascarpone cheese and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Soak the lady fingers in the coffee. Line t h e b o t t o m o f a n o b l o n g mold or pan with half the lady fingers and spread over half of the cream mixture. Cover with the remaining lady fingers and then with the rest of the cream mix- t u r e . D u s t t h e t o p w i t h cocoa powder." *** S i n c e t h e p a n d e m i c , I h a v e n o t b e e n o n m y t i r a m i s ù t a s t i n g t r a i l a s m u c h b u t i n t h e l a s t t e n days, I have been to Il For- naio in Marin County and V i x i i n S a n F r a n c i s c o , where the tiramisù is still superb!

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