Tiramisu

What would a big Italian dinner be without tiramisu for dessert?  I made this for today's dinner. 

You start by making a zabaglione.  Mix 4 egg yolks in a bowl with 1/4 C. of sugar.  Place the bowl over barely simmering water and whisk as you dribble in 1/4 C. of sweet marsala wine.  This mixture should double or triple in bulk.  Set aside to cool.

 Mix 1/2 C. of blurry espresso with 1 T. of sugar until it dissolves.  Stir in 1/2 C. of Kahlua.  Set it aside to cool. 

 Mix 1 C. mascarpone cheese with 6 T. of powdered sugar, 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp. of good vanilla.  Whip the whipped cream into this mixture until it forms very stiff peaks.  Mix the cooled zabaglione into this mixture.

 Using a package of hard lady fingers, dip each one into the coffee mixture quickly and place a layer of them on the bottom of a container.  Spread a layer of the cheese mixture over the lady fingers. Then another layer off lady fingers dipped in the coffee mixture.  Spread the rest of the cheese mixture and finish with another layer of the dipped cookies.  Sprinkle any remaining coffee over the cookies.  Beat a pint of cream with 2 T. of sugar until stiff.  Spread this on the top.

Sprinkle the top with good unsweetened cocoa and then grate a good dark chocolate very finely over that.  Refrigerate for hours before serving.