I will never forget the first time I had Tiramisu!

  I was eighteen working in an Italian restaurant La Villa in MI, the food there was phenomenal. I started working there as a hostess and one day one of the cooks didn’t show up to work,  Chef Lee knew that I always had an interest in cooking and he was desperate, so he asked me if I would be willing to work the pantry station that night. I was a bit nervous but definitely up for the challenge, I was in charge of making salads and platting desserts. After that night I knew this was my calling, he offered me the job and I worked there for the next two years.

  Chef Lee made this Tiramisu that was out of this world. He never let me make it because it was his secret recipe, but I would watch from the corner of my eye to see all the steps of the recipe. I loved the Tiramisu so much that sometimes he would catch me in the Walk-in Cooler with a fork in hand eating the last piece of Tiramisu in the pan. I would hear him come up behind me and yell “Pauletta What are you doing?” and here I was with a mouthful of Tiramisu looking like a deer in headlights. I have spent years trying to find a Tiramisu that compares to his and to try to recreate it and I have finally come close.

 This Thanksgiving I made Tiramisu for my brother C.J, this is his favorite dessert. I consider him one of my toughest critics when it comes to Tiramisu and Canolies. I watched my brother as he took the first bite to see the expression on his face, He absolutely loved it!

 Here is the recipe for the filling of the Tiramisu that I made:

  8oz container of Mascarpone Cheese

 1/2 cup confectioners sugar sifted

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbs. Amaretto (I personally like to use Kahlua)

1 Cup Heavy Cream

 Put the Mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, liqueur in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold gently the whipped cream into the Mascarpone mixture.