Hojicha Whisky Tiramisu Recipe

 

Koal in Singapore has a stellar reputation for their grilled food with Asian-inspired flavours. Its reputation is well-deserved. It was recommended to me on several occasions by Miss XS, and when I finally went, it did not disappoint. 

When desserts came about, I was blown away by their Hojicha Whisky Tiramisu. Three words that I never would have associated together, but it worked. It was earthy, it was rich, and it was perfection in a cup. 

I scoured the internet afterwards for a similar recipe, but couldn't find any desserts that combined both hojicha and whisky. Until I rolled up my sleeves, and decided to get to it myself. In my sixth month, and on my sixth iteration, I got it. 

One tip for making tiramisu, after all my tries, is to err on the side of choosing smaller vessels to hold the tiramisu. You want to avoid overestimating the amount of tiramisu that you can make, and end up with a flat, single-layered tiramisu, as it does not look or taste as appealing as a two-or three-layered one. If you truly have an excess, break out the dessert bowls to make single size portions, which always look good.

In this recipe, I took the controversial step of stipulating "3.6 eggs", and I look forward to the fan mails. The reason was that I scaled the recipe to a tub of mascarpone, which goes for 500g around these parts. The original recipe uses 5 eggs and 680g of mascarpone (both much more reasonable numbers) but I could never figure out what I was to do with the remaining mascarpone. So instead, I crack an egg, mix the egg white and yolk around and then spoon out a little less than half to store in a tupperware. It worked out really well so far. 

Hojicha Whisky Tiramisu
Tiramisu recipe adapted from Stella Parks
Inspired by Koal

You may notice measurements in both weight and tablespoons, which is a deliberate choice. I weigh sugar and mascarpone, but unless you have a jeweller's scale, you're going to have a high margin of error weighing hojicha powder. I use a standard US tablespoon for this recipe. The other benefit of using volumetric measurements is that it is easily scalable by using a larger or smaller spoon.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp hojicha powder, plus more to layer and top the tiramisu 
3 tbsp whisky
11 tbsp water  
500g mascarpone 
3.6 eggs
70g sugar
1/8 tsp salt
About 20 Ladyfingers

STEPS

1. In a rimmed plate wide enough to accommodate a full-length ladyfinger, combine hojicha powder, whisky and water. Set aside

2. In a tall metal saucepan, combine eggs, sugar, and salt with a spatula. The eggs are to be cooked in a water bath to minimise food-borne illnesses. Fill a large skillet with an inch of of water (leaving ample room for the metal saucepan to sit in the water without causing water spillage), and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium, and place the saucepan into the waterbath. Allow the eggs to come to 160°F (71°C), scraping the bottom of the pan constantly to prevent the eggs from overcooking. This should take about 5 minutes; a lack of progress means you need to turn up the heat.

3. Remove the saucepan from the water bath, and strain the eggs (to sieve out any bits of curdled eggs) into a bowl set into an ice water bath. Let the egg mixture cool, until it's no longer warm to the touch.

4. Using either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, whisk the eggs on high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until they have more than quadrupled in volume and are thick enough to briefly hold its shape when dropped from the whisk. Reduce speed to medium and add mascarpone, about 1/4 cup at a time; no need to wait for the mascarpone to completely incorporate before adding more. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then continue whisking for a couple more seconds to break the big chunks of mascarpone down into smaller bits. The small flecks of mascarpone will smooth out on their own afterwards.

5. Assemble: Dunk each ladyfinger in the hojicha/whisky mix, giving it about 5 seconds to absorb the liquid, then place in the bottom of your bowl. Add a  layer of mascarpone filling (about 2cm in height), and then dust lightly with hojicha powder. Repeat with the ladyfingers, then the mascarpone and then a final coating of hojicha powder over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.  

Storage for excess ladyfingers: Ladyfingers, once opened, should be kept in the fridge or frozen if you live in a humid climate.   

Variations: In lieu of Hojicha-Whisky, another winning combination is Bailey's Irish Cream and espresso, mixed in a 1:1 ratio.