I may have spoiled my son because when I was making this dessert for Thanksgiving he said to me, "Mama, you're using CANNED pumpkin?!" It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish but in the case of pumpkin...it is one of the rare times I will say to use the pre-made puree. My reasoning for this is simple. You actually get a better product from the can. The pumpkin puree is darker in color and intense in flavor. Of course you could buy a sugar pie pumpkin and gut it, roast it, flesh it and puree it yourself. But why would you want to go through all that trouble if it tastes the same or better pre-made? Now we are talking about 100% pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. These are two different products that will give you different results in your final dessert! Try buying one that doesn't have any preservatives or added colors and artificial ingredients.
I have to say our Thanksgiving dinners are never traditional. We always make things from scratch but we try different recipes and try following a theme. This year we had an Asian theme. The turkey was cooked with soy, honey, ginger and sesame. Cranberry sauce was mixed with orange and ginger for a kick. Orange chicken, stir fry beef, egg rolls for appetizers...I'm making myself hungry again.
So you're thinking what does tiramisu have to do with our Asian theme. It doesn't. It was simply a lighter end to a heavy meal. Filled with pumpkin mousse and cut with the bitterness of coffee soaked ladyfingers. It was perfect.
Pumpkin Tiramisu Recipe
Barely adapted from Food and Wine
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups brewed coffee, cooled
Two 7-ounce packages dry ladyfingers
Mini chocolate chips, for garnish
In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree with the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. Add the mascarpone and 1 1/2 cups of the heavy cream. Using an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin mixture at medium speed until soft peaks form; do not overbeat.
In a medium bowl, whisk the brewed coffee with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar until it’s dissolved. Dip both sides of 6 ladyfingers in the coffee and arrange them in a single layer in a 4-quart trifle dish. Spread 1 cup of the pumpkin mousse on top. Repeat the layering 5 more times, ending with a layer of the pumpkin mousse. Cover and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 cup of cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop the whipped cream over the tiramisu, garnish with chocolate chips and serve.
