IWD and French Vanilla Italian Tiramisu

Tomorrow is very special Day, International Woman’s day to be precise  and I thought I would share some fun coffee/woman history. Plus I have included a recipe for a French Vanilla Tiramisu celebrating Melitta and Coffee.  How fun is that?

The history of Melitta goes back over 100 years. In 1908, the method of brewing coffee involved boiling coffee grounds in a cloth bag tied with string, which resulted in a cloudy, bitter brew with oily residue. Melitta Bentz, a Dresden housewife, saw coffee’s potential and believed ‘clean’ coffee would taste better.

International Woman’s Day

It’s International Women’s Day, the time of year when we try to  honour the accomplishments of influential women around the world. Over 111 years ago, Melitta Bentz changed the narrative of what it meant to be a woman in business. She challenged the roadblocks of the time and used her exceptional problem-solving skills to define her own title – an entrepreneur.

Melitta Bentz was a housewife who created the coffee filter. She also invented the Pour-Over system shaping the way we enjoy our coffee today. As a mother and wife, she grew a successful company. So, how did she do it? And how can her success inspire today’s modern female entrepreneur?

Well let’s sit down over a cup of java and some French Vanilla Tiramisu and examine her success shall we?

Pathway to Success

How did she do it? Well with a lot of perseverance, resilience and support of course.  Let’s learn from Melitta as we all move forward celebrating Women.

• Face obstacles with creativity  Create a solid foundation for success.  She was able to turn obstacles into opportunities through her strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Be resilient The key to being resilient is the ability to recover quickly and not be afraid to fail. The company faced challenges as the business environment rapidly changed, but she persevered and grew even bigger and better!
•  Be on the edge of evolution Growing  her business by remaining on the cutting edge of industry advancements. She was intent on staying current and educating and preparing herself for what was next. When times were tough, she worked harder and never gave up hope.
•  Lean on those closest to you for help Melitta started her business with the support of her husband and sons. Her family helped structure the business. Without proper support, it’s tough to go it alone. Your family is your biggest advocate, lean on them!

Let’s Talk Melitta and Coffee

Back to Melitta for just a moment, how cool is her invention Coffee Lovers?  Imagine where you would be without her? Her desire for cleaner coffee led to the creation of a two-part filter.  The use of a brass pot punctured with several holes, and a piece of blotter paper from her son’s schoolbook. Both together the precursor to the modern automatic drip coffeemaker. The cone pour-over system was invented by Melitta Bentz and is still viewed by many coffee aficionados as the best way to make great coffee.

While on the topic of the pour-overs, have you seen the awesome selection?  I have kind of fallen in love with all the beautiful spring colours.

Here is a cool fact for you, the first coffee filters were produced at home. Melitta’s boys made deliveries with a handcart, while her husband set up a display in shop windows to show the public how to use the new system. Later he assigned this role to “demonstration ladies,” an idea he got from his time as a department store manager.

The Mother of Melitta and French Vanilla Tiramisu

Operating the company successfully over the next few (many years) Melitta also demonstrated what it was to be a truly successful business person. Work-life improvements for employees was important to Melitta. She worked to improve the lives of all employees, implementing many benefits.  They included a five-day week, up to three weeks’ vacation and a Christmas bonus. Hello and hallelujah, near and dear to this Union Gal’s heart. a woman supporting her employees.

In 1938, with her sons in charge, she also founded Melitta Aid, a social fund for company employees that still exists today.

For 112 years Melitta has been building bridges between progress and tradition. So let’s Celebrate with Melitta – and discover their coffee! and as a special treat let’s see how great Melitta coffee is in a fabulous dessert.

French Vanilla Tiramisu for International Woman’s Day

French Vanilla Italian Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a popular dessert of Italian origin. It traditionally includes ladyfingers soaked in coffee, zabaglione cream, mascarpone cheese and bitter chocolate. This recipe includes all of the important elements, including Melitta French Vanilla coffee, for delicious results.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, canadian, Italian

Keyword: french vanilla tiramisu, tiramiso

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Linda

Equipment

• ramekins

Ingredients

• 12 ladyfingers
• Custard:
•  8 large egg yolks
•  ¼ cup sugar
•  2 cups heavy whipping cream
•  2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Syrup:

•  5 oz of Melitta French Vanilla coffee
•  ¼ cup sugar
•  2 tablespoons water
•  1 teaspoon crème de cacao liqueur

Toppings:

•  1 cup mascarpone cheese softened
•  1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• To make the custard, combine the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
• Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the batter is thickened and pale yellow, 4
• to 5 minutes.
• Add the whipping cream and vanilla and beat just until mixed. Set aside.
• Place 2 ladyfingers in the bottom of each of 6 buttered ramekins.
• Brew an 5-ounce cup of Melitta French Vanilla coffee
• Combine the sugar, water, liqueur and 2 tablespoons of the coffee in a measuring cup
• and mix well.
• Pour the syrup evenly over the ladyfingers.
• Divide and spoon the prepared custard evenly among the ramekins.
• Place the ramekins in a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan.
• Place the pan with the ramekins on the center rack in the oven.
• Pour very hot water into the baking pan, filling the pan to within 1/2-inch from the top of
• the ramekins.
• Bake the tiramisu until each is set around the edges, but still slightly soft in the center,
• 40 to 50 minutes.
• Remove the pan carefully from the oven and allow the tiramisu to stand in the water for
• about 2 hours, until the centers are set.
• Remove the ramekins to a cooling rack.
• When the tiramisu is cooled, spread the mascarpone cheese over each and dust with
• the cocoa powder.

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to see the resultsMention @alabouroflife or tag #alabouroffood!