Mongolian Tiramisu?

Now doesn't this look familiar!  No, contrary to what the title indicates there is no recipe for Tiramisu.  What happened here is that our graduate student from Italy gave her recipe for Tiramisu to the graduate student from Mongolia who wanted to try it out. We were happy to be the guinea pigs.  We extra appreciate the fact that after making it she forgot to bring it in and ran home in time to get it for cake hour.  Obviously she didn't want to disappoint the hungry masses.

For a first shot it was very well done. Kudos to anyone who can get that powdered cocoa layer to be so smooth. We are less likely to breathe it in that way. There were some subtle differences to the Italian version - there seemed to be a bigger emphasis on the lady fingers and less on the mascarpone - but otherwise the Mongolian product was first rate. We hope to share the recipe soon with everyone!  This was, we fear, the last cake hour donations from our Mongolian friend. Sooner or later these graduate students have to get on with their lives and this one did indeed finish her Ph.D. and will be moving on!  Oonoo...I mean, oh, no!

Our favorite Tira Misu!

We're definitely spoiled. We have the good fortune to have a colleague who makes a mean Tira Misu.  And she's authentic Italian. This is none of the unnecessarily modified versions that one finds in many restaurants which should not be serving Tira Misu anyway.  Nope, this is prepared like you are at home cooking for company and this company always appreciates it when one of them turns up. The glass dish allows a view of the layers of Mascarpone chees and lady fingers. This is never too sweet and not at all heavy. The powdered cacao on the top can be a problem if you happen to breathe it in but you get used to it.  For those of us who are fans, this tira misu sets a very high bar.