Zabaione and Strawberries - A Simple Dessert

The joy of making Zabaione is in beauty of utilising eggs when your chickens have laid too many or the sheer happiness of its creamy and unscious texture. And too be honest once you start spooning mouthfuls it is hard to stop. The addition of Marsala creates a flavour that is deep and velvety. Zabaione is an Italian mainstay, and considered a national treasure of cuisine art in some cookbooks.

Elizabeth David suggests in her classic book Italian Food that Zabaione in the traditional sense (no cream) “is much recommended by Italian Doctors as a restorative”.

I love that, and Nigella well she loves to add it to Vegetable Soup so why not?

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Marsala / 80ml

1/2 cup Sugar / 100g

5 large egg yolks

1 Tablespoon of water / 10ml

1 and 1/2 Cup Cream / 300ml whipped ready to go (or omit if prefer to)

Fresh Strawberries, or any fruit you prefer

Method:

In a saucepan or double boiler combine marsala, egg yolks, sugar and water. Stir with whisk over low to moderate heat, do not boil, just let slowly heat. Will be nice and foamy with continued stirring. Stir until thickening, will happen all of a sudden best to take the pot off the heat and move onto cooler surface….may curdle if ends up boiling, 5-10 minutes all up.

If happy to add whipped and thickened cream, (it does make it ultra decadent) once the custard mixture is cooled fold through gently until smooth and creamy. Serve with Strawberries and spoons of pillowy goodness.

2 More Options in the realm of Possibilities

Zabaione with Cream - cover and put in freezer for a fabulous icecream in the summer

Zabaione without Cream - pour over a winter pudding or a piece of zesty orange cake (will add that recipe when I workshop oranges)

Enjoy…

Lastly, don’t waste your egg whites, you can add them to a cake….. I will add a simple recipe for this..

Or make a batch of meringues for your neighbours kids, or your partner or whoever, and if you’re not a sweet tooth like my family, well an omelette is a fine option to utilise the whites, just don’t leave them in the fridge too long….