Kahlua and Cocoa Custard Dessert
Ingredients
- 5 egg yolks
- 6 T superfine sugar
- 6 T Kahlua
- 2 cup ricotta (at room temperature)
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 4 or 5 egg whites, depending on egg size
- 24 Lady Fingers (The style that resembles sugar-coated breadsticks, not the
- short, soft ones)
- 1/2 cup strong coffee, cooled
- 4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
- 16 strawberries
- 1/2 a Special Dark chocolate bar
Instructions
Serves 8 (large portions). In non-plastic bowl combine yolks, 5 tablespoons sugar and 5 tablespoons Kahlua. Set bowl over pot of simmering water. Beat at high speed with hand mixer until pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in Ricotta and a dash of vanilla. Should be a smooth mixture, and shiny. Clean and dry mixer beaters. In another bowl, combine egg whites, 1 T sugar, set over pot of simmering water. Beat at high speed with hand mixer until soft peaks form. About 3 minutes. Don't overheat, it should be about 160 degrees. Gently fold the second mixture into the cheese mixture with a spatula. Mix in 1 T Kahlua. (If you do not want the dessert to contain alcohol, do not add Kahlua at this point.) Brush 16 Ladyfingers (on a cookie sheet or waxed paper) with coffee (Don't try to dunk them). Sprinkle with 1 T cocoa. Put a lightly coated Ladyfinger in each Parfait Glass. Pour in 1/2 the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa. Add one strawberry, chopped in half, to each. Coat and add remaining ladyfingers, with one top sticking over edge of dessert glass. You'll need to break some in half for even distribution. Pour in remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa. Place remaining strawberry on top and garnish with grated Special Dark or bakers' dark chocolate. Chill at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to mix. Serve cool or room temperature. Notes: If you do not have large ice cream cups, this can be layered into a serving dish instead. Place the last 8 Ladyfingers around the edge, like a crust rim. Only put the chocolate curls in the center. I often make the custard and put it on both layers of a chocolate cake (slicing it horizontally into 2 parts) instead of using Ladyfingers in glasses. Brush the cake with coffee. Garnish with the berries and cocoa & chocolate curls.