Can I Use Italian Meringue For The Tiramisini?

Our answer

Nigella's Tiramisini (from NIGELLISSIMA are individual portions of coffee-soaked savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits layered with mascarpone that has been lightened with whisked egg whites. As the egg whites are not cooked, the recipe may not be suitable for everyone. Italian meringue involves whisking egg whites with a very hot sugar syrup. The heat of the syrup raises the temperature of the egg whites to a point that usually kills off bacteria such as salmonella.

You could make an Italian meringue, but you would need to make a sugar syrup and omit the honey and the method is too long for us to detail here. Instead, we would suggest that it is simpler to use pasteurised liquid egg whites from a carton. You can usually buy these in the chilled section of many supermarkets (if you are in the US, make sure they are plain and not seasoned or flavoured). For dairy allergies, if it is a lactose allergy then we would mention that we have seen lactose-free mascarpone for sale in supermarkets. If it is a full dairy allergy then we would suggest a plant-based mascarpone, though we can't recommened any particular type or brand as availability varies across regions and countries.