Tiramisu is one quintessential Italian dessert that has been adapted all over the world. Literally meaning "pick me up" or "lift me up",it is made of ladyfingers dipped/soaked in coffee (and rhum nowadays), layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone cheese, and flavored with cocoa.
Kefir, on the other hand, is a fermented milk drink made with kefir grains and is believed to have its origins in the Caucasus Mountains. It is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep milk with kefir grains. Traditional kefir was made in skin bags that were hung near a doorway; the bag would be knocked by anyone passing through the doorway to help keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed.
Aside from just being a healthy drink, kefir can also be made into cheese - the softer variant, and still has the signature taste of kefir. And as cheese, it can be made into a variety of other "products" like this Kefir Cheese Tiramisu.
Through the able hands of one of Iloilo's top pastry chefs, Ms. Maridel Uygongco, the kefir cheese (above) made by Sir Eugene Jamerlan was transformed into a delighful Italian dessert. Sandwiched between lady fingers (broas) soaked in rhum and espresso, the kefir cheese mixed with cream to create yummy filling. It is then finally topped with a chocolate "ganache" that made that afternoon kefir cheese tiramisu so intoxicatingly delicious!