I may be getting ahead of myself by a month or so, but this strawberry, rose & chamomile tiramisu is my little love letter to the start of spring. Subtle and sweet, it's cloud like consistency melts in your mouth and reminds me of a perfect spring day. Assemble it in a tray and bring to a picnic or in little glasses for a beautiful finish to a spring dinner party, it's a dessert intended to share with friends.
For the strawberry chamomile syrup
1 pound diced strawberries
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest
4 chamomile tea bags
For the filling
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon rosewater
16 ounces mascarpone
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup strawberry syrup
For assembly
24-26 lady fingers
Pint of strawberries, sliced
Place strawberries, sugar, lemon juice + zest in a medium pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and mash strawberries a bit with a potato masher to release strawberry juices, taking care to not purée strawberries. Add in chamomile tea bags and simmer until strawberries are juicy (about 5-10 minutes).
Remove from heat and let mixture steep for 10-15 minutes as it cools. Remove chamomile tea bags and strain mixture with a fine mesh sieve (keep strawberry compote!), so you are left with one bowl of just strawberry syrup and one bowl of strawberry compote. Let both mixtures cool completely before assembling tiramisu.
In a stand mixer (or bowl with hand mixer), whisk heavy cream and rosewater until stiff peaks form and transfer to a medium sized mixing bowl. Return bowl to stand mixer and mix mascarpone and lemon zest until creamy. Add in 1/2 cup of the strawberry syrup and mix until combined. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Gather your serving dish (an 8x8 square dish, 8 individual ramekins / glasses, or a baking dish works) and set up your assembly station — strawberry syrup, strawberry compote, lady fingers, and whipped cream / mascarpone mix.
Dip lady fingers (2-3 at a time) in remaining strawberry syrup for a few seconds on each side (if you think you don't have enough of strawberry syrup left to dip all ladyfingers, you can return the strawberry compote mix to the stove with 1/2 more water to create a bit more syrup). Place dipped lady fingers on the bottom of the serving dish, creating your first layer. Top with a layer of strawberry compote (about 1/2 of the mixture), followed by the whipped mascarpone cream. Layer sliced strawberries on top of the mascarpone cream and then begin your next layer. Repeat layers until the bowl is filled, this should make about 2-3 layers (depending on your dish size). Assembly order is: lady fingers, strawberry compote, mascarpone cream, sliced strawberries, lady fingers…ending with mascarpone cream on top).
Cover your tiramisu and set in the refrigerator for at least six hours (overnight is best). When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator, top with fresh strawberries and enjoy.
