Dragon Tiramisu
Today I will attempt to re-create a stunning dessert that I recently had, it was a dragon fruit tiramisu.
This dessert was part of a Volcan Tequila tasting dinner held at the Limelight hotel in Snowmass, Colorado, it’s a dessert that featured the ladyfingers dipped in orangecello (a type of orange liquor), layered with a classic mascarpone cream, then topped with a dragon fruit sauce and a thin cookie of sorts.
This dessert was so tasty that I thought I’d try making it myself.
Looking at a dragon fruit, you’d likely have no idea what to do with this pink, egg shpaed bulb with green leaves. In fact, you might not even think that this is food, rather some strange alien egg.
However, I can promise you that once you give it a chance, dragon fruit will become embedded into your heart. You can find them in the exotic fruit section in almost any grocery store.
What you need to understand about it is that dragon fruit, otherwise known as pitaya, is a fruit from several different cactus species that grow in Southern Mexico and the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.
The outside skin might look crazy, but once you cut into it you will find a very soft flesh that doesn’t have a distinct flavor, but is studded with little crunchy seeds that are fun to munch on. Also, like an avocado, the skin should be able to peel off of the fruit when it’s fully ripe.
Dragon Tiramisu
Serves 4 plus some extra cookies
For the cinnamon sugar cookies
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/4 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
For the Dragon Fruit Sauce:
1 cup of dragon fruit flesh (from 1 large fruit)
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
1-2 drops of red food coloring (if needed)
For the Tiramisu:
3/4 cup of cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of orange zest
4 ounces of mascarpone cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup of orange juice
2 tablespoons of blood orange liquor (or normal orange liquor)
16 ladyfingers
For Garnish:
1/4 cup of heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
4 raspberries
4 blueberries
Step 1: Make the Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon, then set aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the brown sugar and butter for about 5 minutes, or until light, pale, and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla, then beat to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, then stir on low speed until a stiff dough forms.
Divide the dough into 16 1-inch balls, roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture then lay onto a baking sheet , spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Use greased hands to flatten each dough ball to a 1/2-inch thickness.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden on the edges. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Make the Dragon Fruit Sauce
Combine the dragon fruit flesh and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over low, stirring, until it comes up to a boil.
Add the vanilla extract, then continue to stir to prevent burning and cook until the dragon fruit becomes very soft. Allow it to cool slightly before transferring to a blender or food processor and blending until very smooth.
(With dragon fruit, it’s a bit of a dice roll as to whether you get the white or pink fleshed fruit. If you’re like me and you ended up with a white fleshed dragon fruit, then you can add a few drops of food coloring for a light pink color.)
Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Make the Tiramisu Cream
Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl with the sugar, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
Use an electric whisk to whip the cream to soft peaks, then add the mascarpone, a little bit at a time, and beat until thick and smooth. Be careful not to over-whip the cream as it may separate. (Don’t have mascarpone? Normal cream cheese is fine, but I would make sure to let it come up to room temp so it’ll mix into the cream evenly.)
Set aside.
Step 4: Assemble the Tiramisu
Combine the orange juice and orange liquor in a shallow bowl.
One by one, dip half of the ladyfingers into the orange mixture then lay them in an even layer at the bottom of 4 wine glasses or clear ramekins. (The fancy looking glass is optional, I just wanted to show off a little.)
Top with a layer of the cream mixture, then repeat with another layer of ladyfingers and cream, using a spoon or small spatula (or whatever can fit through the top of the glasses) to smooth out the top.
Top each tiramisu with a thin layer of the dragon fruit sauce, then transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour, overnight would be best.
Step 5: Garnish Then Serve
Whip the cream to stiff peaks, then place a small dollop on top of each tiramisu. (You could put the cream into a piping bag for a cuter presentation, but there’s so little cream that I don’t think it will make much difference.)
Top with a raspberry a blueberry, and serve with the cinnamon cookies.
I have to say that this is almost identical to the dessert I had at Limelight.
There’s a bright orange flavor that cuts through the sweetness and richness of the cream, The dragon fruit sauce was a bit looser than I remember, maybe I should’ve cooked it down a bit more, that’s just one of those things you’re already thinking about as you’re writing this recipe. The cookie wasn’t exactly the same cookie I had, but it was still crisp and it was fun to dip it into the tiramisu.
Well, I suppose I’m my own worst critic, so maybe I’ll have to try making it again to see if I can improve.
