W

hen it comes to weekends in her adopted home of Udine, Italy, Theodora Hurustiati enjoy whipping up quick bites and easy-to-make dishes. One of the Indonesian chef’s favorite recipes is an eggless strawberry tiramisu. She modified the recipe from tiramisu’s original recipe that used raw eggs for the cream, and uses strawberries in place of chocolate and coffee.

“By not using eggs, the tiramisu becomes better for consumption by children, because raw eggs in hot weather can be the right place for bacteria to grow,” the TV cooking show host said in a cyber interview.

It’s also better to omit eggs, she says, because of the use of tart-tasting strawberries.

“The after taste of eggs, which is a bit ‘fishy’, is not a match for the fruit’s acidity. I use yoghurt, because if it’s only mascarpone and cream, the tiramisu will be too milky and heavy for a dessert with fruits,” she said.

Eggless Strawberry Tiramisu Serves 6

Ingredients:

200 gr savoiardi (ladyfingers) biscuits
200 ml cold fresh double cream
200 gr mascarpone cheese
200 gr set strawberry yoghurt
500 gr fresh strawberries
500 ml strawberry juice or syrup
5 tbsp caster sugar

How to make:

— Wash the strawberries briefly under running water. Keep a few whole fruits for decorations and cut the rest in halves or quarters.
— Transfer the cut ones into a bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of sugar without crushing them.
— Whisk the fresh cream along with a tablespoon of sugar until set, chill in the fridge.
— Combine the mascarpone with yoghurt and the remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
— Remove the cold whipped cream from the fridge and fold it, one spoonful at a time, into the mascarpone and yoghurt mixture.
— Dip each ladyfinger into the strawberry juice for a couple of seconds and arrange to cover the base of a tall rectangular ceramic (or glass) dish.
— Pour half of the cream and distribute it to cover the biscuits evenly. Repeat to create another layer of ladyfingers and cream.
— Cover the surface with the cut fresh strawberries and decorate with the whole ones you had put aside.
— Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving to allow the savoiardi to soften.
— This dessert will not keep for too long. Try to finish it in two-three days time maximum.

+ Tifa Asrianti