Chestnut Tiramisu for my Love

After I published my Tiramisu Biscuit Cake recipe and my Tiramisu Chocolate Mousse recipe, both of which went viral, I realized you all absolutely love this concept. So why not keep going with it? I mean, tiramisu can be the foundation for so many interesting and delicious combinations, and I keep trying more and more of them.

This time, it’s a tiramisu dedicated to Mamush, and while every tiramisu is dedicated to her since it’s one of her favorite desserts, here there’s a combination of two ingredients she absolutely adores. Chestnut Tiramisu! A perfect pairing of two fall-winter ingredients that blend together beautifully and, when enhanced with rum, transform into a true delicacy.

I made this chestnut mascarpone cream several times until I achieved what I consider the perfect result: a cream that’s soft, rich, and still stable enough to hold the structure of a tiramisu. Instead of using only chestnut cream, I replaced part of it with chestnut puree, which gives the dessert a deep chestnut flavor.

I naturally replaced the coffee liqueur in the syrup with rum, as a nod to the famous Mont Blanc dessert, and I also incorporated a bit of rum into the chestnut vermicelli to enhance the flavor. By the way, the chestnut vermicelli is certainly not mandatory, but it adds a lovely appearance and wonderful taste to this festive dish.

Beyond the tiramisu itself, which you’re going to absolutely love, you’re probably wondering where this beautiful serving dish came from? When the lovely Keren and Raz came to our culinary tour for the second time, Keren brought me several ceramic pieces she had made, a gift from the heart, not a collaboration and not a coupon code (those who follow us know we don’t do those), but truly a gift, like in the old days. When I saw this stunning plate, I knew this was a plate born specifically for serving chestnut tiramisu, simply a perfect match.

Chestnut Tiramisu
Long Pyrex dish 25cm, height 7cm

Ingredients
Coffee Syrup:
180g brewed espresso or strong brewed coffee
15g sugar
30g rum

Chestnut Mascarpone Cream:
80g egg yolks
50g white sugar
320g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
350g sweetened chestnut cream
100g unsweetened chestnut puree (or vacuum-packed chestnuts ground into smooth puree)
220g egg whites

Assembly:
Approximately 40g quality cocoa powder, sifted
Approximately 150g quality ladyfingers

Cream for Piping Chestnut Vermicelli at Serving (Optional):
50g unsweetened chestnut puree (or vacuum-packed chestnuts ground into smooth puree)
25g very soft butter
100g sweetened chestnut cream
5g rum

Preparation
1. Coffee Syrup: Dissolve the sugar in the coffee, add the rum, and stir. Let cool.
2. Chestnut Mascarpone Cream: In a large mixer bowl, whip the egg yolks and sugar together until you get a light and uniform foam.
3. Add the mascarpone cheese, chestnut cream, and chestnut puree, and mix until you get a uniform mass.
4. In a medium mixer bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff but not overly stiff.
5. Gradually fold the egg whites into the chestnut mascarpone mixture until you get a uniform and airy cream, and proceed immediately to assembly.

Assembly
6. Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of ladyfingers.
7. Moisten the ladyfingers (while they’re lying in the dish) with the coffee syrup.
8. Sprinkle a little cocoa over the ladyfingers.
9. Pour half the amount of chestnut mascarpone cream over the ladyfingers and smooth it out.
10. Arrange another layer of ladyfingers on the cream, moisten with coffee syrup, and sprinkle with a little cocoa. Repeat with the remaining half of the chestnut mascarpone cream. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
11. Cream for Piping Chestnut Vermicelli at Serving: In a mixer bowl, blend the chestnut puree with the butter, add the chestnut cream and rum, and continue mixing until you get a smooth and uniform cream. Transfer to a piping bag with a special vermicelli-shaped nozzle.
12. Remove the tiramisu from the refrigerator, generously sprinkle cocoa powder over the cream. Place a generous portion of chestnut tiramisu on each plate and pipe chestnut vermicelli if desired 🙂

Bon-Appétit
Sharon