Easter Sunday at a Greek household is a full day affair with extended family and friends coming over. The day is centered around the cooking of the lamb be it a whole beast slow-roasted on a spit or in the oven. While we wait, there’s appetizers, we crack our red eggs, drink wine and sip on Ouzo and soon after…dancing ensues!

It’s a long day but Easter is very important for Greeks as we hold dear the Resurrection of Christ and welcome another rebirth in Spring. After some 40 days of fasting the feast is most welcome on Easter Sunday and I can safely say most Greeks go beyond the Easter egg hunt for the kiddies and Easter brunch (foreign customs for us).

After a long day of eating, drinking and exhausting every topic imaginable its time for fruits and dessert and one of things I try to do when creating a menu is to make sure there is balance. The last thing anyone wants after an all day feast is a rich chocolate cake but rather, a dessert on the lighter side without cheating family or fiends out of dessert.

This Lemon – Mastiha Tiramisu offers a light finish to a long meal and incorporates the ritual and good dietary habit of enjoying a digestif after the meal. Italians have Grappa and Limoncello and us Greeks have Tsipouro (or Raki or Tsikoudia) and Mastiha liqueur. One of my fave ways to enjoy Mastiha liqueur is to sip on it with ice and a good squeeze of a lemon wedge. This version of Tiramisu borrows from this digestif’s lemon & mastiha combo and I just adored it as a dessert.

Lemon Mastiha Tiramisu (Τιραμισου με Λεμόνι & Μαστιχα)

Syrup

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

3-4 slices of lemon

1/4 cup mastiha liqueur (choose a sweet brand of Mastiha as some are strong and not fit for this dessert)

juice of 1/2 lemon

Lemon cream filling

5 large eggs, separated

2 – 8 0z. packages of cream cheese

3/4 to 1 cup icing sugar

1 – 8 oz. container of Mascarpone cheese

1 or 2 shots of mastiha liqueur

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

For Assembly

36-40 Savoiardi lady finger cookies

For topping

zest of 1 lemon

12-15 café style cream wafers, roughly chopped

1. First make the syrup by adding the water, sugar, lemon slices in a pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer for cook for another 6 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and mastiha liqueur and reserve.
2. In a large bowl, add the egg yolks, cream cheese and Mascarpone, icing sugar and a good splash of mastiha liqueur with the lemon zest and mix until creamed together. In another bowl (ensure its very clean) add lemon juice, egg whites and beat until stiff peaks have formed. Quickly yet gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped egg whites.
3. Dip both sides of the cookies into the syrup and lay a layer in the bottom of an approx 8 X 15″ casserole of Pyrex dish. Ensure the cookies are arranged in tight, straight rows. Now spread a layer of cream filling over the cookies and spread evenly with a spatula.  Repeat by laying another layer of dipped cookies followed by another smoothed-out layer of cream mixture. Place in the fridge (covered) overnight to set.
4. The next day, uncover just before serving and roughly chop the cream wafers then strip the zest off of 1 lemon and spread over the entire Tiramisu. Serve cool or room temperature.