Kesar Pista Tiramisu

5 from 2 votes

Layers of saffron soaked ladyfingers topped with saffron infused mascarpone, and crushed pistachios, this Kesar Pistachio Tiramisu is a delectable Indian-fusion dessert that's perfect for the festivities!

Prep Time40

Chill time2

Total Time2 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: people

Author: Manali Singh

Ingredients

¼ cup pistachios raw, unsalted
1 & ¼ cups milk I used whole milk
pinch saffron strands use good quality saffron
8 oz mascarpone cheese 226 grams
¼ + ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder
⅓ cup granulated white sugar 75 grams
1 & ¼ cups heavy cream 10 oz
14 ladyfinger cookies you may need more if your serving container is bigger
3 tablespoons pistachio butter optional

Instructions

Add raw pistachios to your food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Transfer these to a bowl. Make saffron milk by heating up 1/4 cup of milk and then adding pinch of saffron strands to it. Let it sit for 10 minutes for the saffron to bloom.
PS: crush the saffron between your palms before adding to the milk. That helps in developing the lovely saffron color and flavor.
To the bowl of your stand mixer, add the mascarpone cheese and beat until creamy and smooth using the wire whisk attachment. Then to that add, the prepared saffron milk, cardamom powder, and sugar. Mix until everything is well combined.
Then add the heavy cream to the same bowl and beat using the wire whisk attachment until you get stiff peaks, around 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed on your stand mixer. Don't overbeat else the cream might curdle. Now, it's time to assemble the dessert.
Heat up the remaining 1 cup of milk in a microwave or stove-top and then add a generous pinch of saffron strands to it. Let the saffron bloom for 10 minutes. Take your serving bowl and start layering the dessert. Dip the ladyfingers in the prepared saffron milk for 15 to 20 seconds on each side and then layer in at the bottom of your serving bowl. You might have to cut your cookies for it to fit into your serving bowl. I used 5 oz serving bowl for serving this dessert.
Then add a layer of the prepared mascarpone saffron mixture on top of the ladyfingers followed by crushed pistachios and a drizzle of pistachio butter (optional). Repeat the layers one more time: saffron soaked ladyfingers > mascarpone cheese mixture > crushed pistachios > pistachio butter. You can pipe some of the mascarpone mixture on top to make it look pretty (just like I did). Chill at least for a couple of hours before serving. You can also make this a day before and chill overnight.

Notes

Ladyfingers used in this recipe does have eggs in them. If you want to make this dessert egg-free, use an eggless cardamom cake as the base or use vanilla wafers, rusks.

Nutrition