Sabayon Recipes

SABAYON

Steps:

• Pour a few inches of water into a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to keep water at a simmer. Combine egg yolks, water, Marsala, and sugar in a large heat-proof bowl and set above the simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly with a balloon whisk, until sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.
• Continue cooking and whisking until sabayon is the texture of mousse and holds its shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Lift bowl occasionally to let steam escape and keep eggs from overcooking. Serve immediately.

SABAYON

Steps:

• Prepare a large ice bath, and set aside. Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches water. Set over medium heat, and bring to simmer.
• In a large stainless-steel bowl, whisk together egg yolks, salt, and sugar until very pale. Add Muscat; whisk to combine.
• Place bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until mixture has thickened and has tripled in volume, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove mixture from heat, and immediately transfer to ice bath. Whisk until chilled.
• In a large chilled bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add lemon juice, and fold the whipped cream into the chilled sabayon. Serve immediately.

SABAYON

Steps:

• In a large, heatproof bowl, whisk together the wine and sugar. Then whisk in the egg yolks.
• Set to bowl over a pan of gently boiling water (the bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the water) and whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes frothy and stiff. You can slow down the speed, but if you need to stop whisking it, remove the bowl from the pan for as brief a time as possible.
• The sabayon is ready when the mixture is thick and holds its shape when you lift the whisk and let some of the mixture drop back into the bowl.
• Pile the berries and their juices into a glass and top each with warm sabayon. You can sprinkle them with crumbled amaretti cookies, if desired.

CHAMPAGNE SABAYON

Steps:

• Combine the egg yolks, Champagne, and sugar in the top of a double boiler and whisk over simmering water (make sure the bowl does not touch the water in the bottom pot). Whisk constantly until thick and foamy. Remove to an ice bath and continue whisking until cool. Set aside.
• Whip chilled heavy cream to soft peak stage and fold gently into custard. To achieve the most volume, plan to fold in whipped cream just before serving. Serve in chilled glasses layered with fresh fruit and/or sponge cake. Garnish with mint.

ZABAGLIONE

Steps:

• Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan set over high heat.
• Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large glass bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on the highest speed, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and the sugar is completely dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the Marsala and salt.
• Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and put the bowl atop the saucepan with the boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Beat the mixture on medium speed, until it is thick, frothy, holds a ribbon, and the temperature reaches 145 to 150 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer.
• Spoon the warm mixture into custard cups or serving glasses and serve immediately or allow to cool slightly. Serve with fresh berries, if desired.

CLASSIC SABAYON AND ZABAGLIONE

Steps:

• In a zabaglione pan (or a metal bowl or round-bottomed double boiler), whisk together the yolks and sugar until lighter in color; then stir in the wine.
• Se the pan or bowl over a smaller pan of simmering water, and whisk until the mixture swells and thickens into a stable foam; it is ready when the wires of the whisk start leaving light traces between strokes. The water in the lower pan should be actively simmering but not boiling violently, and should not touch the bottom of the upper pan. There's no need to beat hard; just use a gentle back-and-forth wrist motion, getting all over the pan so the mixture doesn't overcook on the bottom and sides. Don't cook past the "light traces" stage, or the sabayon may lose volume and become dense instead of airy.
• Off heat, whisk in the Grand Marnier (or rum, kirsch, or whatever). Serve immediately.
• For an Italian zabaglione, reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup, and use 1/2 cup of dry Marsala.

SABAYON WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Preparing the strawberries:
• About an hour before serving the dessert, rinse the strawberries (stems on) and drain them on paper towels. Slice off the stems and halve or quarter the strawberries lengthwise, depending on size, into a bowl. Sprinkle over the sugar and the lemon juice; fold gently together to blend well. Taste a strawberry, add more sugar or lemon juice if needed, and set aside to macerate.
• Whipping the sabayon:
• If you want to serve the sabayon warm, make it at the last minute. If you want to glaze the sabayon under the broiler, or make it ahead of time to serve chilled, have ready a large bowl (larger than the one in which you whip the sauce) partly filled with ice cubes.
• Whisk to blend the yolks, Marsala, and sugar in the stainless-steel bowl. Rest the bowl in the saucepan over hot water. Whisk constantly for 4 to 5 minutes or more to cook the sauce, until it has the consistency of lightly whipped cream. Clear the bottom of the bowl constantly with the whisk so that the eggs do not scramble, and adjust the heat as needed. Taste the sauce - the sabayon should never get so hot that you can't stick your very clean finger in it - and whisk drops of lemon juice or more sugar if you want. When thick, foamy, and tripled in volume, remove from heat. It can be served hot as is, tepid, or cool.
• Serving:
• Spoon a portion of strawberries - 1/2 cup or more - into each goblet or glass, and top with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of warm or cool sabayon. Or put the sauce in the glass first, then the strawberries.
• Variation: Strawberries Glazed with Sabayon
• Cool the sabayon to room temperature. Whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form, and fold the cream into the sabayon with a rubber spatula.
• Turn on the broiler. Spread the strawberries in the baking dish in one layer (or in individual dishes). Spoon the sauce over the berries so they are completely covered and set the dish under the broiler, 5 to 6 inches from the heat. With the door open - so you can watch carefully - broil for a minute or two, turning the dish as needed to glaze evenly, until the top of the sabayon is nicely browned and slightly crusted. Serve right away.