We serve a lot of espresso at my studio and our go-to brand is Barocco, roasted right here in the Greater Toronto Area. It's an excellent coffee you'll find at many Toronto bars and restaurants as well as the better grocery stores around town.  So when Barocco asked if I'd like to collaborate on a simple dessert recipe I didn't hesitate to say yes. 

Here is an easy classic dish that's always a hit at my supper clubs - you and serve it any time of the year. Enjoy! 

6 servings

Ingredients

  • Half pound of fresh mascarpone cheese 
  • 8 savoiardi cookies (lady fingers) 
  • 2/3 cups sugar 
  • 2 short shots of Barocco espresso to mix with cream 
  • 1 ½ short shots of Barocco espresso to mix with cookies  
  • 15 whole Barocco coffee beans

For serving: 6 small glass cups or martini glasses  

Instructions

  1. Crush the coffee beans. I usually put them in a sealed zip-lock bag and crush them with the flat end of a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a small pot. You want the consistency of very course coffee – something to give taste and texture to the cream.  
  2. Pour the mascarpone cream into a mixing bowl and add the sugar. Mix rapidly with a wood spoon or spatula until it is well combined. 
  3. A little at a time, slowly add the 2 shots of espresso. Mix well each time you add a little more espresso and make sure the cream doesn’t become too loose. 
  4. Once the espresso and mascarpone are incorporated thoroughly, mix in most of the crushed beans, leaving aside a few for garnishing. 
  5. Put the mixture into a large pastry bag with a large nozzle. If you don’t have one you can use a large zip-lock bag, just cut off the corner and squeeze out the cream.
  6. Roughly chop or crumble the cookies into a mixing bowl. Add the 1½ shots of espresso and mix well – the cookies should be damp but not wet. 
  7. Add the crumbled cookies evenly to the 6 glasses and top each one with cream.  
  8. Sprinkle each glass with a light topping of crushed espresso beans and serve. 
     

Tip

This dessert can be made 2-3 days beforehand since there’s no egg. It stores well covered and refrigerated. Remove from fridge half hour before serving.  

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