A Twist of Lemon
Summer is in full swing. Streets have turned a verdant shade of green. The warm air pungent with the heady fragrance of elderflowers. Shelves at the market are abundant with alluring strawberries, plump cherries, and fuzzy peaches in the colour of sunsets. Yet, the city feels abandoned. It’s as though people have fled to the Mediterranean for more promising weather.
Nothing screams summer like Italy. Fresh pesto ground with pestle and mortar. A colourful tomato salad with Burrata. Roasted peppers with anchovies and basil. Our decision to remain in Stockholm meant we had to search for its flavours at home. The crates at our local Italian grocer were brimming with peppers, aubergines, tomatoes in varying shades, courgettes, and beans. But it was the bowl of sunshine-yellow Amalfi lemons that caught my eye.
Perhaps it's the unbearable heat that persuaded me to reach out for their zesty freshness. The perfume of freshly grated and juiced lemons does give the illusion of coolness on a hot afternoon. Almost like having lemon sorbet or iced lemonade. And what better way to taste Italy than with the good old tiramisu – with a twist. Or a collision with a tarte au citron.
The limoncello tiramisu is dessert engineering in easy mode. It starts with a layer of drunk savoiardi – or ladyfingers, followed by lashings of pillowy mousse and then covered with a thin veil of sharp lemon curd. This construction is repeated once more before it’s adorned with tiny drops of meringue, burnt lemon powder, glistening candied lemon slices, and carefully tweezed lemon balm leaves.
Despite its seemingly tedious steps, it’s quite an unfussy dessert that will elicit praise at dinner parties. There is no shame in using lemon curd out of a jar, and there is certainly no point in baking the crumbly biscuits yourself. The only tasks that remain are the yolky mascarpone cream and airy meringue kisses, with most of the gruelling work taken care of by a stand mixer.
It's a bit of everything. Zesty sharpness that would lift one’s appetite after a feast, spoonfuls of coolness to ease the warmth, mellow creaminess that ends the evening with a sweet note, and booziness to restart the night. Even better still, have a round of ice-cold limoncello and live la dolce vita.
Saluti. B
Limoncello Tiramisu
A nod to Italian summers. Of coasts soaked with sun and flanked with azure seas. Think of a freezing-cold glass of Limoncello to end a meal of freshly-caught fish and summer vegetables. This boozy lemon-forward dessert is a mish-mash of recipes – Nigel Slater’s glorious lemon curd, Yotam Ottolenghi’s burnt lemon powder, Camilla Wynne’s candied lemons, and Giuseppe Dell’Anno’s classic tiramisu.
Makes a 26 x 17 x 6cm dessert
Notes
On lemons: Choose smooth, unwaxed lemons with bright, yellow skin. The juiciest ones are those that give a little resistance when gently squeezed.
On limoncello: This tart-sweet liqueur boils down to just lemon peel, alcohol, sugar, and water. You don’t need to splurge on a sipping variety (unless you do want to enjoy it as a digestif). If there are kids at the dinner party, simply substitute the limoncello with more lemon juice.
On savoiardi: Also known as ladyfingers or sponge fingers, these dry cake-biscuits soak up liquid like, well, a sponge. Do not leave them in the syrup for too long – just a few seconds would do – or they would disintegrate. They are available at most supermarkets or at Italian grocers. Giuseppe has a recipe for them if you do want to make them yourself.
Ingredients
For the limoncello syrup
1 lemon, zest
80ml lemon juice
120ml limoncello
60g caster sugar
For the lemon curd
4 lemons, zest and juice
100g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, cubed
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
For the cream
120g egg yolks, room temperature (7 to 8 eggs)
50ml water
100g caster sugar
500g mascarpone, cold
200g whipping cream (35% fat), cold
For the Italian meringue
43ml water
75g egg whites, room temperature (2.5 eggs)
100g caster sugar
To serve
About 10 savoiardi sticks
Burnt lemon powder
Candied lemon
Lemon balm leaves (or mint)
Equipment
26cm x 17cm glass dish
Citrus zester and juicer
Stand mixer
Sugar thermometer (optional)
Directions
Make the lemon curd
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and yolks with a folk (or chopsticks as I do).
Combine lemon zest and juice, sugar, and butter in a medium mixing bowl, and cook it over a water bath. Stir with a whisk from time to time until the butter has melted.
Add the beaten eggs to the lemon-butter mixture and whisk constantly, letting the mixture thicken.
Remove from heat and pass it through a sieve into a clean bowl to collect any curds, if any.
Make the limoncello syrup
In a medium saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon peel, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the limoncello.
Transfer to a shallow bowl and let it cool.
Make the mascarpone cream
Place the egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring it to a boil over a medium heat. When the syrup starts simmering, reduce the heat. Do not disturb the syrup while simmering: this will minimise the formation of sugar crystals. When the syrup reaches 115°C, start the mixer to beat the egg yolk at high speed.
Keep simmering the syrup until it reaches 121°C. At this point, the egg yolks should have almost tripled in volume. Remove the syrup from heat and wait until it stops bubbling. Stream it along the side of the bowl into the yolks slowly as it continues whisking. Keep whisking at full speed for about 12 minutes, until the mixture cools to room temperature
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone and cream and whip them with a hand mixer. Whip the mixture to stiff peaks for 2 minutes until it looks completely dull.
The yolk-syrup mixture would look fluffy and thick at this point. Whisk one third of the yolk mixture into the whipped mascarpone and cream to loosen it. Fold in the remaining yolk mixture with a rubber spatula gently and fully combine.
Make the Italian meringue
In a small saucepan, boil the water and sugar over medium heat. Use a wet pastry brush to brush down the walls of the pot to prevent sugar crystals while boiling. Let it heat until it reaches about 126°C on the sugar thermometer.
Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form. Set it on medium speed and slowly drizzle the syrup in, whisking until slightly cooled. It should reach stiff peaks.
Assemble the tiramisu
Dip the savoiardi, one at a time, into the limoncello syrup for a few seconds and place them in the serving bowl. Arrange them so they form a regular, continuous layer of sponge at the bottom.
Spread half the cream filling over the savoiardi, levelling it with an angled icing spatula. Spoon half the lemon curd over it, evening it out.
Arrange the next layer of limoncello-soaked savoiardi and continue with another layer of mascarpone cream, and then the lemon curd.
Fill a piping bag, fitted with a round tip, with the Italian meringue and carefully pipe little kisses. If you like, you can use a kitchen torch to toast them.
This is optional but if using, sprinkle the burnt lemon powder and decorate with candied lemon pieces and lemon balm leaves.