Where Does Zabaglione Come From?
The Gourmet Sleuth writes, “Zabaglione is said to have been invented in the 16th Century in Florence, Italy in the court of the Medici. This dessert is classified as a ‘caudle’ rather than a custard. A ‘caudle’ is a sauce used as a custard to fill pies or tarts. The original pre-sixteenth century version was a drink made or wine or ale thickened with egg yolks.” I found the original recipe for zabaglione in the out of print Time Life The Good Cook series’ Wine volume. The original recipe called for 3/4 cups of sugar, which in all of our opinions here was way too much.
A Lower Sugar Zabaglione Recipe
I have since found similar recipes calling for half as much sugar. So, I would suggest 1/3 to 1/2 a cup, depending on taste. This is actually quite easy to make. You just need a double boiler set up, or a stainless steel bowl on top of, but not touching, simmering water.
6 egg yolks 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest Pinch ground cinnamon Drop vanilla extract 3/4 cup Marsala
Serve with:
1 cup heavy cream, whipped Strawberries, raspberries, or biscotti
Note: the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Continue whisking for several minutes, until the mixture triples in volume, froths up, and becomes pale. Add the whipped cream to the cooled custard and use a whisk to gently fold them together. Reserve some of the whipped cream to serve on top. Ladle the zabaglione into individual dishes. Serve with whipped cream, berries, and/or cookies, such as biscotti.
