Zabaione: the original recipe for marsala-flavored cream

the Eggnog it’s a cream sweet and sparkling with eggs and sugar, flavored with a fortified wine. It is a basic preparation of the homemade pastry, the classic grandmother’s cream which, with the first spoon, immediately brings us back to childhood memories and the real snacks of the past. Of rather uncertain origin, it seems that the zabaglione originated from the court of the Medici, while, according to other sources, from the court of the Gonzaga. Whatever the origin, one thing is certain: no one can resist its kindness and its enveloping scent.

Easy to make, it is prepared by beating the egg yolks with the sugar, then slowly adding a hot fortified wine, usually Marsala; then the mixture is cooked in a double boiler until it is thick and frothy. It can be poured into bowls and enjoyed hot as dessert at the end of the meal or a gourmet break: in this case, don’t forget to accompany it with donuts, Tuscan cantucci or cookies to your taste that you will dip in the irresistible cream. You can also use it for stuffing cakes, brioche and classic holiday sweets like pandoro and panettone.

We used marsala as a fortified wine, but if you want you can replace it with Sacred wine or with del dry white wine; instead of caster sugar, you can also use whole cane sugar: the color of your sabayon will be slightly darker.

Find out how to achieve it by following the procedure step by step and the advice: the end result will be impeccable.

Pour a little water into a saucepan (1) and put it on the heat: this will be the base of the bain-marie.

Shell the eggs in a bowl (2).

Use eggshells as the unit of measurement for Marsala wine; then pour the wine into a saucepan (3).

Add a tablespoon of sugar (4) and heat on the heat, without bringing to a boil, so that the alcohol does not evaporate.

Add the remaining sugar to the yolks (5).

Work with a hand whisk (6), until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Pour the water into a large bowl (7) and transfer it to the refrigerator.

Pour half of the hot Marsala over the eggs (8).

Beat continuously with the whisk (9).

When the first bubbles appear, pour in the rest of the marsala (10) and continue whisking the mixture.

As soon as the water boils (11), place the bowl on the saucepan.

Whip with an electric whisk until you obtain a frothy cream (12).

At this stage, mix gently with a spatula: the cream should reach 82 ° C (13).

If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, you’ll find the sabayon is ready when the spatula leaves furrows and lines form (14).

Place the bowl with the sabayon on the one filled with cold water (you can also use ice); stir constantly and let cool: this will prevent skin from forming on the surface (15).

Pour the sabayons into individual bowls, accompanied by donuts or cookies and serve (16).

storage

Eggnog can be stored in the refrigerator, covered on the surface with a sheet of cling film, for 3 to 4 days. Before using it, it will be whipped. You can also freeze it.