Breakfast Tiramisu

I get really excited for breakfast.  I will wake up early for it.  I plan it out the night before, even if it's just oatmeal, so I can get maximum awesomeness out of my morning meal.  I think this affinity has something to do with the freedom of being able to eat on the sweet end of the spectrum and call it a meal.  Given my love of breakfast, when the exceptionally hospitable owner of Villa Theresa Bed and Breakfast (where my dad was staying while he visited me in Pisa) invited me to eat breakfast for free there, I was ecstatic. But even more than the food, I was excited about eating breakfast in such a beautiful setting.

Villa Theresa's flowers

Villa Theresa was the old residence of a wealthy duke in the 1700s, and now it is a lovely bed and breakfast with a lush garden courtyard where guests enjoy a delicious breakfast featuring marmalade made in-house from oranges grown in the garden and home-made yogurt with honey, among other things, such as the classic cornetti (a croissant-like pastry) with nutella.

The house-made yogurt really impressed me with its freshness and lack of acidity.  It was quite liquid, just barely set, but I could really taste the milk.  I was told that it is made fresh every day.  

The house-made yogurt with fresh peaches

I knew I wanted to make a breakfast inspired by that yogurt that would recall not just the food I ate, but the magical scent of eating in the garden.  While flipping through my favorite food magazine, Sale e Pepe, I saw a recipe for raspberry and jasmine tiramisu, and I decided to adapt it to breakfast by swapping the classic mascarpone out for Greek yogurt.  It worked beautifully!  I've never had a breakfast tiramisu before now, but what better way to start the day than with a little "pick me up"*?

*Translation of tiramisu (duh)

I got the jasmine flowers from a bush on my street here in Pisa, nervously looking both ways as I stripped the flowers off to make sure the bush's owner wasn't about to leap out and yell at me.  The only person who saw me was a nun who looked mildly concerned but didn't bother me.  Sorry bush, they'll grow back.

making jasmine syrup

Jasmine flowers may be a bit harder to find in the US, but you may be able to find already prepared jasmine syrup in middle eastern markets, or you can make this without the jasmine and just use your favorite floral tea instead, adding it to the water and sugar and steeping it as you would with the flowers.  Instead of lady fingers, I used savoiardi sardi, which are a larger and softer cookie that you may have a harder time finding in the US.

 Raspberry Breakfast Tiramisu with Jasmine

for the jasmine syrup:

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup jasmine flowers (Or a floral tea, if you can't find the flowers)

for the tiramisu:

2 cups 0% greek yogurt

2 tbsp honey

savoiardi (lady fingers)

about 1 cup raspberries

Make the jasmine syrup: In a small pan, bring the water and the sugar to a boil.  Once all the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and add the flowers to the pot.  Let steep for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. 

Once the syrup is done steeping, drain the flowers and put the syrup back in a small pot.  Turn on the heat and add in the raspberries.  Boil them for about 5 minutes, or until the syrup has turned bright red.  Strain the syrup to eliminate the seeds, and pour it into a deep plate.  Dip the lady fingers into the syrup and let them absorb it for about 10 seconds, then line the bottom of your serving dish with them.  Mix the yogurt with the honey and spread half of it on top of the lady finger layer in your dish.  Top the yogurt with more soaked lady fingers, and add the second half of the yogurt on top.  Garnish with some raspberries and jasmine flowers, and enjoy!

Adapted from Sale e Pepe, July 2014