March 21st is National Tiramisu Day.

Tiramisu is such a popular restaurant dessert, yet few people make it at home. It’s less work than an apple pie!

In addition to classic tiramisu, we have a variation for people who don’t like coffee: a lemon tiramisu, below.

Check out the history of tiramisu.
 
 
RECIPE #1: EASY TIRAMISU

Thanks to Westside Market in New York City for the recipe (photo #1).

Note that this recipe uses raw eggs. If you are concerned about raw eggs, be sure to purchase pasteurized eggs.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, until it’s thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.

2. MASH the mascarpone in a large bowl with a rubber spatula until smooth, then fold in the yolk mixture.

3. WHIP the egg whites with clean beaters until stiff peaks form. Fold into the mascarpone mixture.

4. MIX together the coffee, rum and remaining ¼ cup sugar until the sugar dissolves; let cool.

5. TRIM half of the ladyfingers to line bottom of 9 x 13 inch serving dish. One at a time, briefly dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture and arrange in the dish. Press firmly with your fingers to make even layer.

6. SPREAD with half of the mascarpone mixture. Repeat with the remaining ladyfingers and coffee mixture, but do not press the ladyfingers. Spread with remaining mascarpone mixture.

7. COVER and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Sift the cocoa powder over top. Serve, garnishing each portion with espresso beans.
 

 
RECIPE #2: LEMON TIRAMISU

If you’re not a coffee lover—or if you simply like lemon—here’s a variation that replaces the coffee with lemon.

This is a no-cook, no-bake dessert. The recipe (photo #4) is courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar in small bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add sherry, as desired. Reserve three (doubled) lady fingers for garnish.

2. BRUSH the bottom of an 8-inch square glass dish lightly with the lemon juice mixture. Place one layer of split ladyfingers, cut side up, over the bottom of the dish. Brush with half of the lemon juice mixture.

3. BEAT the cream in a large mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup of the remaining confectioners sugar; set aside.

[1] A slice of classic tiramisu (photo © Westside Market | New York City).

[2] Tiramisu cupcakes. Here’s the recipe from Bella Baker (photo © Bella Baker; site now closed).

[3] A tiramisu cake from Mackenzie Ltd. Here’s their current version, sold online (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[4] Lemon tiramisu. The recipe is at left (photo © Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board).

5. BEAT the lemon curd and yogurt on the medium speed of the electric mixer until blended. Spread half of the lemon curd mixture over the ladyfingers; top with half of the cheese mixture. Place another layer of ladyfingers, cut side up, over the cheese mixture. Brush with remaining lemon juice mixture. Layer with the remaining lemon curd and cheese mixtures.

6. PLACE the reserved ladyfingers in a food processor or blender; process to fine crumbs and sprinkle over the tiramisu. Cover and chill at least 6 hours.
 
 
MORE VARIATIONS ON TIRAMISU

People who know the religious significance of challah may raise an eyebrow at our headline. (There’s more about challah below).

The sandwich may be tongue-in-cheek [photo #1], but it’s delicious. Here’s our adaptation of the recipe.

Beer is a great beverage pairing.

Prosciutto is the cured hind leg of the pig, as is American ham. The cure is different, creating a quite different result—more elegant and refined flavor.

Don’t want prosciutto? Here’s a recipe for a fried chicken sandwich on challah.
 
 
RECIPE: PROSCIUTTO SANDWICH ON CHALLAH

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SLICE a loaf of challah, or a challah roll.

2. BUTTER one side, add mustard to the other.

3. ADD the prosciutto and any other ingredients.
 
 
AMERICAN PROSCIUTTO

La Quercia (La KWAIR-cha—the name means “The Oak” in Italian) is an Iowa-based producer of classic Italian cured meats (called salume in Italian).

The company was founded by Herb and Kathy Eckhouse to create premium quality American prosciutto.

Their love of cured meats emerged from three-plus years of living in Parma, Italy, the area where prosciutto originated.

When the couple returned to the U.S., they wanted to create their own artisan prosciutto.

After launching their prosciutto to great acclaim, they developed additional cured meats (salume): coppa, guanciale, lardo, lomo, pancetta, speck and more.

Here’s more about pork products and pork cuts.

The handcrafted products are available at better markets. Visit the La Quercia website for more information and a store locator.

 
WHAT IS CHALLAH?

Challah is a braided, sweetened egg bread (photo #6) that is part of the celebration of the Jewish Sabbath.

Jewish custom requires that Sabbath and holiday meals begin with challah.

The word refers to a mitzvah (tithe) of bread, a portion that was separated from the dough before the loaf was formed and braided.

It was given to the Kohen, the priests in the temples, who had no income. This portion of the dough was sanctified and tithed; the remainder was used for ordinary consumption.

Challah has been part of Jewish life for millennia. It is mentioned in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.

While challah has been a part of Jewish kosher cuisine, modern times have encouraged different uses for the tasty bread.
 
 
TODAY’S CHALLAH

Challah has taken an evolutionary detour from the traditional rectangular, braided, ceremonial loaf to modern uses and different shapes (photo #2).

Why?

 
Challah is now used for:

 
…and the all-time favorite use, French Toast.
 
 
If you can’t find a challah at the supermarket, here’s a recipe to bake your own challah.

[1] A prosciutto sandwich on buttered challah, by La Quercia (photo © DiBruno Bros | Philadelphia).

[2] Different shapes of modern challah (photo © Hot Bread Kitchen).

[3] Challah Bread Pudding. Here’s the recipe (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Chocolate Orange Challah. Here’s the recipe from Yin + Yolk (photo © Yin + Yolk).

[5] Olive challah (photo by Sue Ding | The Nibble).

[6] A classic challah. Here’s the recipe (photo © King Arthur Flour).

Challah is now made in flavors, savory and sweet.

 
We’ve been fortunate to try a number of flavored challahs, and pronounce them excellent, a real treat.

You can find many recipes, both savory and sweet, online.

[1] Green Goddess Spring Pizza, which can be enjoyed year-round, of course (photo © Broma Bakery | DeLallo).

[2] Pea shoots (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[3] Spring peas, also called English peas and garden peas (photo © John Woodhouse | Woodhouse Chocolate).

[4] A white pizza topped with peas, pea shoots and shaved pecorino (photo © King Arthur Flour).

Celebrate spring with a green pizza: green from spring veggies and pesto sauce instead of marinara.

It’s topped with a fresh green salad. Year-round, we enjoy fresh arugula and basil atop a plain marinara pizza, so we knew we’d like this one.

The recipe was developed by Sarah of Broma Bakery, and sent to us by DeLallo, of whose products she’s a fan (so are we).

If you love to bake—or want a reason to start—sign up for the Broma Bakery Blog.
 
 
RECIPE #1: GREEN GODDESS SPRING PIZZA

This recipe can be made year-round, except for the pea shoots which are only available in the March-April time frame.

If you can find them (at a specialty produce store or farmers market), top the pizza with pea shoots and tendrils.

Pea shoots are the edible leaves of the spring peas (a.k.a. English peas, garden peas)†.

You can substitute microgreens.

Sarah used the DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit, but you can substitute prepared dough.

Ingredients For 2 Ten-Inch Pizzas

 
For The Salad Topping

 
Recipe Variations

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to its highest temperature. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. ROLL the pizza dough into two 10-inch rounds. Set them on the parchment-covered cookie sheets, and brush a bit of olive oil around the edges (this helps deliver a crispy edge).

3. SPREAD the pesto all over the dough, except for leaving a bare 1-inch edge. Top with the mozzarella, scallions and zucchini.

4. BAKE for 8-10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the mozzarella is bubbling. Meanwhile…

5. PREPARE the salad topping. When you are almost ready to remove the pizzas from the oven, toss the watercress and snap peas in the Green Goddess dressing.

6. REMOVE the pizzas from the oven, top with the salad and serve.
 
 
>>> CHECK OUT THE HISTORY OF GREEN GODDESS DRESSING <<<
 
 
>>> MORE GREEN PIZZA RECIPES <<<
 
 
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*Pea pods take the 60-70 days to mature, but pea shoots, the first sprouting of the plant, can be harvested within 2 to 4 weeks. When pea shoots are harvested, a percentage may regrow into a second crop; but pea pods will not grow on the plants: It’s either shoots or peas.