Backpacker's Pantry: Tiramisu

When we lived in Ames, Iowa, we would often stop by the Army surplus store in town. Since then, the store, now called JAX has somewhat transformed. While they still carry military surplus, they also cater to hunters and hikers. Even in he early days, they carried portable dehydrated foodstuffs, in the form of MREs ("Meals Ready to Eat", for those of you who aren't married to a former Marine). And while modern MREs are pretty good, the newer hiking goods section carries a wider variety of packaged dry foods.

Among these foods was Backpacker's Pantry's version of tiramisu. I'd always wanted to try tiramisu, so my husband picked it up for me. At $2.35 for a two-serving pouch it wasn't too bad a deal for a novelty. Backpacker's Pantry's tiramisu comes in a silver pouch embossed with a scene of a tree-ringed lake near mountains, with the silhouette of a hiker walking through. This hiker appears to have been cut out of a picture of a desert sunset. Odd, but interesting effect.

Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu was easy to make. Just add a cup of water, stir, and allow 10 minutes for the product to set up. You can prepare the tiramisu right in the pouch, but I used a bowl. You have to stir very thoroughly, but when you are done you have a pudding-like desert. I was impressed by how well it set up.

Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu is basically comprised of vanilla pudding, cocoa, coffee, and carob chips.The flavors blend nicely, and the texture is nice and smooth. For a pudding made with water, it was surprisingly creamy. Coffee is the predominant flavor here, and is very nice. But I will warn you, if you don't like carob, the chips will ruin this dessert for you! My husband and daughter liked the pudding part, but didn't like the carob chips at all. I had carob quite often as a child, and may have acquired a taste for it. So I recommend you try carob before you try Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu.

As this is a food for hikers you might expect it to be nutritious. And while there is no saturated fat in Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu, there are 220 calories and only a smidge of calcium (2 percent). But this is dessert after all, and you could easily burn 220 calories hiking.

Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu is not exactly the traditional dessert. There aren't any ladyfingers hiding in the silver pouch. So maybe it would be more apt to say this dessert was INSPIRED by tiramisu. And maybe I would be less inclined to like it if I had tried the original dessert. But as I like carob, and don't have any preconceived notions, I really liked Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu. So if you are hitting the trails, or just want something different, you might want to try Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu.

Enjoy!