Traditionally, Hindus are not supposed to consume meat or eggs during Diwali celebrations. Well, I pretty much have the no meat portion down considering I’m vegetarian, but I DO eat a lot of eggs, so I was trying to think of some non-Indian dessert recipes that can be made eggless. My family and I are having a Diwali party in a few days, and I wanted to change up our dessert selection a bit by adding some non-Indian sweets. I browsed the internet for some tiramisu recipes, and they were all pretty standard- they just negated using the egg yolks from the mascarpone cheese mixture. The recipe is really easy and I infused it with Amaretto to have a nice, rich Italian almond taste, but some other options are Kahlua and Grand Marnier. When you bite into this creamy dessert, it’ll be an explosion of cocoa, coffee and creamy amaretto in your mouth- trust me it’s fabulous!

Ingredients:

• 1 package Italian lady-finger cookies (eggless are available in regular grocery stores or Italian food markets)
• 1/3 cup plain mascarpone cheese (I used Belgioioso brand)
• 1/4 coffee-infused mascarpone (I used Belgioioso brand)
• 1/2 heavy cream (no skimping out here! Need the full fat)
• 1 cup coffee/espresso- cooled and poured into a shallow bowl
• 1/2 granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp amaretto (I used Disaronno)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (for dusting)
• 1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar (for garnishing)
• raspberries- for garnishing

1. In a very clean and cool bowl pour heavy cream, and whip with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed for about a minutes (until soft peaks). Keep mixing on medium speed and slowly add sugar (DO NOT add all at once, or the fluffiness will disappear!). Whip until you’ve reached firm peaks, about 1-2 minutes (DO NOT over mix!).

2. In a separate bowl add both mascarpone cheese, vanilla and amaretto. Using a hand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cheese until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. DO NOT over mix.

3. Fold the whip cream into the cheese using a spatula. It’s important to not stir or over mix the cream with the cheese, because you want the mixture to be fluffy and light.

4. Dip the lady fingers into the coffee, soaking it for about 30 seconds – 1 minutes. You want them to be soft, but not mushy and breaking.

5. in a square or rectangle dish (I used square) add a layer of lady fingers. Scoop about 1/2 of the mixture on top and spread evenly. I sprinkle the layer with a little confectioner’s sugar. Then add another layer of lady fingers and add the remaining cheese mixture. Spread evenly making sure to coat all the cookies. You do not want to see any of the cookie part. After, place the cocoa powder into a small sifter and soft over the tiramisu, coating it evenly. Cover with a lid/plastic/foil wrap and place in the fridge for about 2 hours or more.

6. Slice into squares, top with raspberries and confectioner’s sugar and serve!

Serves about 8-10 people