Ah, one of my very favorite desserts. This is one of the more sensual here in the series      (at least I think so) mainly because of its silky smooth texture.

This recipe, though somewhat exotic sounding, is really rather simple to make. Pre-packaged lady fingers are key, but if you have time and want to be adventurous, there are several recipes online for the homemade kind.

I’ve never added the brandy, simply because we’ve not had it on hand, and it still tastes wonderful. As for the Marsala, be sure to get the sweeter kind – you won’t regret it.

Tiramisu

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 c. Marsala
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups strong coffee or espresso
• 1/4 cup brandy OR Frangelico liquer
• 18 store bought Ladyfingers
• 2 oz good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped OR shaved
• Good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions

1. Place 6 large wineglasses in the refrigerator to chill.

2. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add the sugar and whip 10 to 15 seconds longer, just until sugar is thoroughly incorporated.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk the mascarpone and Marsala together until smooth and creamy. Gently fold a third of the whipped cream into the mascarpone, to lighten. Fold in the remaining whipped cream to combine.

4. Remove the wineglasses from the refrigerator. Stir the coffee and brandy together in a small bowl. One at a time, dip the ladyfingers into the coffee-brandy mixture twice, taking care not to leave them in more than 5 seconds or they may fall apart. Place two or three halves into the bottom of the glass, pressing down so they fit snugly.

5. Spoon a portion of the mascarpone mixture onto the ladyfingers, then sprinkle with the grated chocolate. Top with another layer of ladyfingers, and repeat layering two more times, ending with a layer of cream. Dust lightly with remaining chocolate and a fine dusting of cocoa powder if so desired.

6. Assemble your dessert cups in the afternoon so that the y dessert has plenty of time to chill.

Tip: Halve the recipe to make two generous servings, and, use wine glasses for the presentation

A  little Ray LaMontagne, candlelight, and tiramisu… sounds like romance waiting to happen.

Marriage.

It’s that thing that defines a major part of who we are. We plan for it, dream about it, and sometimes venture into it without much thought about the ‘after’.

I love being married and have been now to the same man for 13 years. We’ve had our shares of ups and downs (sounds so cliche, doesn’t it?) Really, that’s just a nice way of saying that there have been hard times that have come from without and times when our selfishness and sin have been the culprit.

We married young, I was barely 22 and he 23. We waited six years to have children, for various reasons. We took being able to go out whenever we wanted for granted, not realizing that life after kids would change the face of our dating landscape.

Seven years and 4 kids later, we’ve gotten rather creative with our date nights. Through the years we’ve had to re-think our vision of what that meant.

Sometimes a bottle of wine, special dessert, and a fire are really all that’s needed to get the other fire started.

So won’t you join me ?

For the next 31 days we’ll be diving into how to make our date nights at home a little a little more creative and a lot more fun!