well it seems everyone is talking about the awful cold january has brought and all the same, it has been no different here. freezing cold temperatures, barely reaching into the twenties somedays, not to mention the awful inversion the cold brings along. can you believe last week we actually had the worst air in the world? “toxic”  i believe was the word they used, yes “toxic”. camden and i have eaten every meal in, with the exception of friday night when we went out with some of our favorite people, who might i add, just happen to live two stories above us … imagine that. we have eaten every frozen food imaginable to man from just about every continent, all of course deep fried in oil. we’ve probably gained ten pounds each and it doesn’t help we haven’t been walking as much out of fear of the “death air” lurking outside. to top it all off, saturday i made some delicious tiramisu to help pass the day while staying indoors. and just incase you too are suffering from the january blues i took the liberty of including the recipe below. seriously, if you love this dessert as much as i do (it’s my favorite) you have to try this one, it’s that good.

:: tiramisu – by williams sonoma ::

for the cake you’ll need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cups sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract 
unsalted butter for greasing 
extra all-purpose flour for dusting 

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. lightly grease the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper. lightly grease the paper and sides of the pan and then dust with flour.

to make the cake, in a bowl, whisk together the four, baking powder, and salt until blended. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the eggs until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until very thick and tripled in volume, about 3 minutes more. sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and, using a rubber spatula, fold gently until blended.

pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly, bake the cake until it springs back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes. let cool on a rack for 15 minutes. run a small knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. carefully peel off the parchment paper. let the cake cool completely.

for the syrup you will need:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur or dark rum
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee

to make the syrup, combine the water and the sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. bring to a boil and remove from heat. stir in the coffee liqueur and espresso powder. set aside and let cool completely.

for the filling you will need:
6 large egg yolks 
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup coffee liqueur or dark rum
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee
1/2 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 cups mascarpone cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
unsweetened cocoa power to dust top

to make the filling, in the top of a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, coffee liqueur, and espresso powder. set over barely simmering water and beat with the mixer set on medium speed until very thick, about 6 minutes. remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and set aside to cool stirring frequently.

meanwhile, in a bowl, using the mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream until stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted.

when the yolk mixture is cooled to room temperature, add the mascaprone and vanilla. beat until smooth and well blended. using the rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream.

to assemble, cut the cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. remove the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, close the ring and set the ring on a flat serving plate (or use a bowl if you don’t have one, like me). place 1 cake layer in the springform ring. generously brush and sprinkle with some of the syrup. scoop about 1-3/4 cups of the filling onto the layer and spread evenly. repeat these steps in order twice more finishing with the filling spread evenly on top. holding the pan ring and plate together, gently tap against the counter to settle the ingredients. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

to serve, run a thin knife around the inside of the ring to loosen the cake. unclasp and remove the ring. garnish with chocolate curls, then sift a dusting of cocoa over the top. slice, serve, and enjoy.