Zabaglione is a delicacy served in top restaurants in Italy. Now, you can make your own and enjoy it at home!
By Gigi Pozzoli from Gigi’s Gelato
Yolks, sugar and fortified wine. These three ingredients make one of the most moreish desserts ever. It’s simply irresistible.
Zabaglione can be savoured hot or cold, or used as a filling in cakes and pastries. It’s an ancient recipe with roots all the way back to 15th-century Emilia, although one of the most widely told origin stories places it in Turin in the 16th century. It is said to have been created in honour of the patron saint of cooks and pastry chefs, Franciscan friar San Pasquale Baylon. The name evolved from “crema San Baylon” (San Baylon custard) to “Sambyon”, which is the Piedmontese word for zabaglione today.
Unlike most recipes, there are no real rules for zabaglione. It can be adjusted to suit each and every palate.
Classic zabaglione calls for equal amounts of egg yolk, sugar and fortified wine, usually Marsala (always and only “Marsala secco [dry] Fine or Superiore”) or Moscato – a sweet, bubbly wine from Piedmont.
You can, however, use any spirit – amaretto, whisky, limoncello, whatever you fancy. Even lemon juice!
You can play around with the amount of sugar and alcohol by increasing or reducing them based on your preference. You can even use different kinds of sugar – white, brown or honey. Not to mention you can add spices like cinnamon and vanilla.
In my opinion – and all Italians would agree with me – the classic, traditional recipe with Marsala is the best by miles.
It’s typically served hot with fiordilatte gelato, fresh berries or a combination of the two. The gelato provides a delicious hot-cold contrast, while the raspberries balance the sweetness of the zabaglione with their tartness.
You can make zabaglione in the morning, put it in the fridge and savour it cold during summer. I believe it’s best served hot, though. Try pouring hot zabaglione over fiordilatte gelato. Divine!
A tip for kids:
I grew up eating zabaglione. It was one of my favourite afternoon snacks. If serving it to children, bring the Marsala wine to a boil and boil for one minute. By doing this, the alcohol evaporates and kids can enjoy it. Just make sure not to pour the hot Marsala on top of the yolks in one go, or they will scramble. In chef’s terminology, we say to “temper” the yolks by adding a little Marsala while whisking them.
Ingredients:
- Egg yolks (2-3 per person)
- Sugar (1 tablespoon per egg yolk)
- Marsala wine (one shot glass per person, if desired)
- Optional: fresh raspberries and/or fiordilatte gelato, for serving
- Utensils:
- Whisk
- Large metal bowl
- Small or medium pot with water to make a bain-marie
Method:
- Add water to your pot and bring it to a simmer.
- Add your egg yolks to a bowl with equal amounts of sugar.
- Immediately beat them together until they become pale and foamy. It’s important to beat the yolks right away once you add the sugar, otherwise the yolks will burn. The sugar will draw water from the yolks, causing the mixture to become lumpy and making it unusable.
- Once the yolks and sugar are pale and foamy, add the booze of your choice (I’ve chosen Marsala wine).
- Whisk everything together and place the bowl over the pot of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl must be in contact with the water. From this moment onwards, you cannot stop whisking and beating the mixture. If you do, the part of the mixture in contact with the bowl will become an omelette. If your arm tires, try switching to the other arm. It’s quite the workout!
- At first, a foam will form. Then, as the temperature increases, the foam will disappear. You want the mixture to reach what we call “quando scrive” in Italian (literal translation, “when it writes”) or “ribbon stage” in English. In other words, when your whisk leaves lines in the mixture, which will have turned into a thick cream, the zabaglione is ready.
- If you have a thermometer, use it to check the temperature – zabaglione is a stirred custard. It must be cooked up to 82–85 degrees Celsius. If you go over 85 degrees Celsius, you’ll essentially have boozy scrambled eggs.
- Enjoy it your preferred way. Zabaglione can be served with fresh berries, savoiardi biscuits (made the Italian way), gelato, bread (my childhood favourite afternoon snack), as a sauce with cakes or even on its own.
