This dish is sort of a summery tiramisù. The creamy mascarpone and ladyfinger layers in tiramisù are a natural with strawberries. But the espresso is too overbearing to match well with the sweet fruit. What to do? Swap out the liquid. Moscato d’Asti, a lightly sweet and fizzy wine, works here. Drizzle more of the wine on just before serving. It adds just the right brightness and verve.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ quarts strawberries
- 1 tablespoon superfine or granulated sugar, more to taste
- 1 bottle (750 milliliters) moscato wine, more for serving
- 2 pounds mascarpone
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar, more for sprinkling if desired
- 2 plump, moist vanilla beans
- 48 ladyfingers (2 packages)
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
593 calories; 40 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 232 milligrams cholesterol; 414 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
10 to 12 servings
Preparation
- Hull and slice 1 quart of strawberries. Leave remaining 1/2 quart whole for garnish. Put sliced berries in a bowl and gently toss with superfine or granulated sugar, adding more if berries are very tart. Add a splash of moscato to bowl and macerate for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, whisk together mascarpone, heavy cream and 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar. Use a sharp knife to split vanilla beans lengthwise. With the knife’s flat side, scrape out seeds and add to mascarpone mixture. Lightly whisk until soft peaks form. (Save vanilla pods for another use, like vanilla sugar.)
- Pour 3 cups of moscato into a shallow bowl. Working with 2 or 3 cookies at a time, dip ladyfingers into the wine, turning once to coat for a few seconds so that they can absorb some of the liquid; use as many of them as fit to line a 9- by 13-inch baking dish (or other 2-quart casserole) in one layer.
- Spread half of mascarpone mixture onto ladyfingers. Spoon strawberries and juices on top of mascarpone in an even layer. Dip more ladyfingers and arrange on top of berries in an even layer. Top with remaining mascarpone mixture, using a spatula to smooth. Cover and refrigerate torte for at least 6 hours and for as long as 2 days. Garnish with reserved strawberries. Scoop torte into bowls or goblets to serve and drizzle with a little more moscato.
20 minutes
Dining and Cooking