Strawberry tiramisu

• 400 g fresh strawberries
• 5 amaretti biscuits
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 40 g unrefined caster sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons white rum
• 250 g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 100 ml pressed apple juice
• 1⁄2 a 200-g pack savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits)
• a large, deep-sided glass bowl
• Serves 6

1. Hull the strawberries. Weigh out 100 g and chop them finely. Slice the remaining strawberries and set aside.
2. Put the amaretti biscuits in a polythene bag, seal, then bash them with a rolling pin until they look like coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with an electric hand-held mixer or a whisk until pale yellow and fluffy, gradually adding the sugar as you go. Add the vanilla extract and a tablespoon of the rum. Tip the mascarpone cheese into a large bowl, beat with a wooden spoon to soften, then gradually add the egg yolk mixture and beat until smooth. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they just hold a soft peak. Fold the chopped strawberries into the mascarpone cheese mixture, then carefully fold in the egg whites.
4. Whip the whipping cream then fold that in too, together with a third of the crushed amaretti biscuits. Mix the remaining rum with the apple juice. Dip some of the savoiardi in the apple-rum mixture and lay across the base of your bowl. Reserving some sliced strawberries for decoration, arrange a layer of strawberries over the biscuits, then cover with a layer of mascarpone cream. Repeat with 1 or 2 more layers of soaked biscuits, strawberries and mascarpone cream, finishing with the mascarpone cream. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 5 hours.
5. About 1 hour before serving, sprinkle the remaining amaretti biscuits over the top of the tiramisù and decorate with the remaining strawberries. Return it to the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Credits

Strawberry tiramisu by Fiona Beckett photograph by Peter Cassidy, from Food for Family and Friends, published by Ryland Peters & Small.