Creamy Zabaglione

So I have at least one baking hit, among my friends. And that is my champagne cupcakes. They are SO good, and people keep wanting me to make them, or make them with me. Now I don't mind a bit (surely not), but the problem is their exCESSIVE use of egg whites! I know that it lightens the batter and gives the cupcakes their perfect little mmm lift, but it always leaves me with the same problem. At least six egg yolks, just sitting in the fridge, needing to be used!

I thought about creme brulee, but it called for the wrong number of egg yolks. Also, like, I just made that.

Then I thought about washing my hair with them (I've heard that's good for it), but couldn't get over my fear of smelling like raw eggs.

But then, finally, I discovered...zabaglione.

I knew my solution would have to be of the pudding persuasion, but nothing seemed to quite fit the ingredients I had on hand, or my number of homeless yolks. But these zabbies were just perfect. Creamy, light, yolky, and really quite easy as pudding-types go. I ate it while watching When Harry Met Sally.

Enjoy! Oh, and happy memorial day! I'm going to celebrate by making a salad/rib FEAST (i'm not a vegetarian on holidays, it's part of my plan for seasonalitarianism). And a big chocolate cake!









Zabaglione

6 egg yolks
1/3 c sugar
3/4 c marsala wine (I substituted leftover champagne, but I'm sure white cranberry juice would work just fine if you're uncomfortable baking with alcohol)
1 t grated lemon peel
ground cinnamon
vanilla extract
1 c heavy cream, whipped
strawberries, raspberries, or biscotti for decoration (I ate all the berries before I could get them in the picture - ah the pitfalls of baking)

1. Place egg yolks and sugar in a large, round-bottomed stainless steel bowl. Add grated lemon peel and a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract to the yolk mixture. Pour in the marsala wine.

2. Half-fill a pot with water, bring the water to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Set the pan or bowl containing the custard mixture over the water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Whisk the custard mixture, making sure that the water does not boil. This ensures that a gentle, even heat thickens the mixture without curdling it. Whisking traps air in the yolks for a light, fluffy mixture.

3. Continue whisking for about 10 minutes, until the mixture triples in volume, froths up and becomes pale. When it reaches the desired consistency, take the container of custard out of the pot. Slightly thickened, the custard can be used as a sauce. Longer cooking will thicken the custard further, giving it the texture of mousse (this is what I did). Continue whisking for a minute or two to keep the custard from sticking to its container.

4. Serve the custard while still warm, or if you want to serve it cool, set it aside for about 15 minutes. Whisk heavy cream until it forms soft peaks; add the whipped cream to the cooled custard and use a whisk to gently fold them together. Reserve some to go on top.

5. Ladle the zabaglione into individual dishes. Serve with whipped cream, berries, and/or cookies such as biscotti.

Serves 6