Tiramisu

First of all let me warn you: this is NOT a healthy dessert. Sometimes you just need to pull out the big guns when you are going somewhere and they expect you to bring a fabulous dessert. I did use low fat ingredients and I infused vanilla bean into the sugar, which made me need less. Despite this, I would still recommend only eating a small piece. 

8 oz mascarpone

2 oz cream cheese 

1 cup espresso

1/4 cup kahlua

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 cup vanilla-infused confectioners sugar 

1 package lady fingers 

Dusting of coco powder 

Vanilla-infused sugar:

Okay, so you are going to have to get your hands on some vanilla beans. If you cannot find any then you can add vanilla extract to your tiramisu instead of this sugar. If you are lucky enough to have some vanilla beans then this is what you do: 

Take your vanilla bean and cut it in half lengthwise. Use the back of your knife to scrape out those precious vanilla beans. Set these aside for later. Take the pods that are now empty and store in confectioners sugar, keeping the bean submerged. Place in an airtight container in the fridge. Let sit for at least one day before using the sugar. 

Here is a fun tip about using vanilla infused sugars: use it as much as possible. I always save my vanilla bean pods in some granulated sugar. Vanilla infused sugar gives the illusion of it being sweeter than it actually is. Meaning: you can use less sugar if it is vanilla infused and it will taste just as sweet as if you used more of the regular stuff! Vanilla bean is useful for tricking your brain into thinking what you are eating is actually sweeter than it is. 

Tiramisu: 

Lay down a row of lady fingers. Take your espresso and kahlua and pour until the cookies are soaked. In a separate bowl whip the mascarpone with the cream cheese, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and vanilla-infused sugar. (Tip: have your cheeses at room temperature in order for them to be easy to work with). Taste your filling after adding half of your sugar. Everyone has a different pallet for sugar, I like to use less. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar. Spread your filling over your lady fingers. Lay another row of lady fingers on top. 

Use the rest of your coffee kahlua liquid to soak the top layer. Spread the filling on top and dust on some coco powder. Refrigerate overnight to let everything soak together. 

Enjoy !