The reason why I didn’t fall in love with tiramisu before was because I haven’t met one.
1999, I was first introduced to tiramisu at the dessert institution of Melbourne of the time, Brunetti on Lygon st. In fact, it was the first time I was introduced to the wonders of western desserts. I still think of Brunetti fondly whenever I think about desserts. I guess this is where my current vocation started. Although, the memory of the tiramisu I ate in 1999 was rather pale compared to the memory of the grandness of the profiteroles towers that showcased the mastery of Brunetti. Over the coming years, I had a chance to live 5 mins from Brunetti in the heart of the Italian st of Melbourne. I would stop by for a treat after school whenever I wanted to treat myself. I still don’t have much memory of tiramisu.
After I started my career as a pastry chef, I travelled the world to eat and try new things for inspirations. There were days I remember of carrying a spoon and running around Florence from one gelato shop to another, spoons in hands ready to try. Or there were days when my family had cakes for meals when we visited 6 patisseries per day in Paris. Tiramisu has always been too pale compared to those. Having been to Italy 4 times, I’m sure my meals at restaurants must have ended with tiramisu a few times. None stuck in mind.
Then came my culinary trip to Majorca Spain 2014. Spain was the culinary center of the world at the time. We were delighted with all kinds of treats. One day, we visited market… after eating all the seafood we could in the market. We walked by this small kiosk run by this Italian lady selling homemade pasta and… her secret recipe tiramisu. We bought a portion and proceeded to a piazza near by to enjoy and sunbathe at the same time. And that was when I finally understood the italian’s love for tiramisu. The reason why I didn’t fall in love with tiramisu before was because I haven’t met one. Maybe tiramisu is such a secret homemade thing thsecret recipe tiramisuat it’s so hard to find one so satisfyingly good sold. The creaminess of the mascarpone cheese, the aromatic espresso soaked lady fingers, and the secret ingredients: Marsala. A tiramisu isn’t a tiramisu without those core ingredients. What else? The perfect amount of time that they stay together to compliment each other and create that “oh my god this is so good!” Tingle that runs through your body.
This dessert is so simple to make, yet when done right, it brings you such simple joy. I still keep a photo of that tiramisu and show it to the team whenever we talk about what kind of tiramisu we would like to treat our customers with. Years on, with the team of Morico, I’m finally got that “omg this is so good tingle” after test product after test product. Come and test our Morico tiramisu and let us know if you feel the same. Life is good, enjoy it at Morico.