The bittersweet charms of tiramisu
提拉米苏亦苦亦甜的魅力
“Tiramisu,”murmurs Rob Reiner's character knowingly to Tom Hanks in“Sleepless in Seattle'. “What is tiramisu?" asks Hanks, a widower venturing back into the world of dating.“Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her and I'm not gonna know what it is!”“You'll love it,”Reiner assures him. When the film was released in 1993 tiramisu was an obscure confection unheard of even in an America rich with Italians.
在电影《西雅图夜未眠》中，罗伯.莱纳扮演的角色颇有深意地对汤姆.汉克斯低声说道:“提拉米苏”。“提拉米苏是什么?”汉克斯问道(他在片中饰演一位重拾勇气闯荡爱情世界的鳏夫)，“ 要是有女人想让我给她来这个，结果我根本不知道那是什么!”。“你会爱 上它的”莱纳跟他打保票。这部电影在1993年上映时，提拉米苏还是个名不见经传的冷门J甜品，即便是在意大利人不少的美国，也没怎么有人听说过。
Today it appears on Italian menus everywhere, from the trattorias and ristoranti of Venice to red-sauce joints of Boston's North End. But the supposed Italian classic probably dates back only as far as the 1960s. The name means“ pick me up”in Italian: Ada Campeol, an exhausted young mother and owner of Le Beccherie restaurant in Veneto in northern Italy, is said to have come up with the dessert. Others credit Carminantonio lannaccone,an Italian chef who ran a bakery in Baltimore's Little Italy and brought the recipe with him to America.
如今，不论是威尼斯大大小小的本土餐馆，还是波士顿北角的美式意大利餐厅，世界各地的意大利菜单上都必然有着提拉米苏的身影。但是这道所谓的意大利经典菜品，只能追溯到19世纪60年代。在意大利语当中，(提拉米苏) 这个名字的意思是“唤醒我”:据说，是埃达.坎普尔首创了这道甜品，当时她是位疲惫不堪的年轻母亲，同时还身兼贝切里餐厅的店主，这家店开在意大利北部的威尼托。另外还有说法表示，这道甜品出自卡迈安东尼奥.伊安纳康之手，他是巴尔的摩小意大利区一家面包店的意大利主厨，是他把提拉米苏的食谱带到了美国。
Whatever its origins, shattered parents everywhere can attest to the reviving qualities of lavish quantities of caffeine and sugar. Start with savoiardi biscuits, Italy's version of ladyfingers,light, crumbly and eager to absorb other flavours.Sodden (but not to the point of mushiness) with espresso and brandy, marsala or rum to form the dark heart of the dish. Layers of zabaglione mascarpone whipped up with eggs and sugar to a light custard一provide contrast. A thick dusting of cocoa finishes it off, like moleskin on the tongue.The perfect way to seduce anyone.
但不论提拉米苏源起何处，想必世界各地心力交瘁的父母们，都对它有着同样的切身体会:caffeine和糖分的“慷慨”登场，有着提神醒脑的功效。制作提拉米苏的第-步是准备萨佛拉蒂饼干，这种意大利手指饼干松松脆脆，能立马吸收各种汁水。用浓缩咖啡和白兰地、马萨拉酒或朗姆酒，将它浸软(但不至于呈浆糊状)，即可得到这道甜点深色的“灵魂”。接着，将马斯卡彭芝士与鸡蛋以及砂糖打发至松软的糊状，制成沙巴翁，层层铺在饼干上下，与之相映衬。最后，再厚厚地撒.上一层可可粉即可完工，形成绵密的口感，不愧为让人神魂颠倒的不二之选。
