A Very Deep Dive Into Tiramisu Testing (Ep #4)

This is the nerdy and extremely excessive testing of the tiramisu ingredients I wanted to explore to help inform the ultimate tiramisu recipe. This isn't a video about the ultimate recipe, but how to get there. I hope this will help you reflect your own preferences in your choice of ingredients. I tried all of these different components so you didn't have to, and regret none of it.

My previous Tiramisu Series videos

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
1:21 Coffee part 1: The Dunk
5:03 Coffee part 2: Strength
7:35 Coffee part 3: Choice of coffee type
10:27 The Savoiardi biscuit
14:29 Eggs
17:38 Mascarpone
19:50 Cocoa powder
23:52 Timing: How far in advance to make your tiramisu
25:30 Conclusions

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[jo.comics]

"I wanted to know... No, I NEEDED to know how much liquid was in the biscuit." That's what I'm absolutely here for, yes.

[johnmarklowry]

Now this is the kind of hard-hitting journalism I can get behind.

[nicole]

4% strength makes a lot of sense because thats around where a moka pot brew sits. thats what most italian home cooks are going to use to get the "espresso" for dipping

[KasNinja]

Protect this man. He's out here suffering through the most ridiculously amazing coffee and coffee-adjacent rabbit holes and making it an absolute treat to watch.
Keep it up James!

[tinrobot]

Dunking graphs. This is peak James Hoffman. Awesome.

[claireloub]

Syringe dosing the coffee into the biscuits was peak nerd and I salute you!

[houseXelectroXco]

James! Now I am standing here in my kitchen, wanting to make tiramisu, and I realize you Ep#5 is not out yet! How can you do that to me?! 😢

[TheRociCrew]

No music, no dragging babble, no distractions and unneccessary information dumping. Just pure informative and intriguing video. This is the kind of video that I subscribed for.

[ReticentObsessive]

The Sainsbury’s (13:46)say boudoir because that’s what savoiardi are called in French. They are originally from the Duchy of Savoy, which had both French and Italian as official languages.

[puppsmcgee]

As a person who loves tiramisu and data but is also an overthinker and has difficulty making decisions, I absolutely love every moment of this video. Thank you for the types of data, the tastings, product information and in-depth explanations. This is definitely a labor of love and I greatly appreciate it!

[domramsey]

When it comes to the cocoa powder, a bigger factor than the brand is alkalisation (Dutching). A more alkalised cocoa is going to have a browner / darker colour and a more chocolatey flavour. A non-alkalised cocoa is going to be lighter / pinker and will generally be less chocolatey but have more interesting natural flavour notes. Perhaps frustratingly, the chocolatey ones with a nice deep brown colour are the most processed.

[bobs_sa]

The amount of prep and work that went into this video behind the scenes must’ve been immense! Kudos to James and his team!

[gabzolina]

"Nerdy and extremely excessive" is exactly what we need James... Thank you

[ropro]

"Tiramisu rabbithole" were 2 words that I thought I'd never put together... until now! 🤠Love that James went deep so that we didn't have to! 🙇

[AveryLiberg]

God bless nerds. I love them. Anyone who cares so much about their interests is amazing and deserves the world

[Wldgeist]

In the family of my wife (Italian) it's customary to add a little spritz of Amaretto to the creme and a bit of lemon zest. That works out beautifully and rounds out the taste of the tiramisu.

[Starangerr]

The sous-vide eggs part was mind blowing. This opens up so many possibilities when you need to be extra careful! I am definitely going to try this.

[joachimemand]

I laughed out loud at the beginning. Dunking lady fingers into coffee, to check which duration would make a perfect biscuit is exactly what I've done 30 years ago. The nerd is strong in me.

[Zizalaonfire]

For the egg yolk - i find that you can achieve a fluffier, lighter cream by pasteurazing the eggyolks over a doble boiler and then beating them up with the sugar until very light yellow colout. I pasteurize the whole eggs tho, so the foam is usually very tall and it results in a nice, slightly fluffy cream

[danielzenner]

Although it is not necessary in a tiramisu, It would have been interesting to see you try different liquors (rum, wine, amaretto, coffee liqueur) vs. no liquor. Great content as always James!