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Frozen Zabaglione

This will work with any sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling, Beaumes de Venise, moscato, dry or sweet sherry, Tokaj, Barzac, or Montbazillac, although there are lots of others. (Avoid port, which will tint the zabaglione a color you might not find it as appealing as a clearer wine.) The good thing is that many dessert wines come in half-bottle sizes, so you don’t need to pull the cork on a large bottle. Sparkling wine, such as Champagne, cava, or prosecco can also be used. The alcohol keeps the sabayon from freezing too hard once frozen, and is necessary. Frozen zabaglione is lovely garnished with sugared berries, peaches or nectarines, or a compote of stewed plums. In the winter, it’s a good match with poached pears. To add a little crunch, crumble some amaretti cookies over the top or add a few toasted sliced almonds.
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cups (180ml) dessert wine
  • 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
  • 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, softly whipped
  • a few drops fresh lemon juice
  • Make an ice bath by adding ice to a large bowl so it’s half-full with ice, and add a small amount of cold water.
  • In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, wine, and sugar. Set the bowl over a saucepan of water that’s at a low boil and vigorously whisk the mixture. (You can also use a hand-held electric mixer.) It will become frothy, and after a few minutes, will start to thicken. It may take up to 8 minutes to reach the point where it’s done. It’s ready when you lift the whisk and the zabaglione holds its shape on the surface of the sauce in the bowl for a few seconds. Do not overcook it.
  • Remove the bowl from the heat and place the bowl in the ice bath. Gently stir the mixture over the ice bath infrequently to cool the zabaglione. (It may deflate a bit, which is normal.)
  • When at room temperature, fold in the whipped cream and the lemon juice. Transfer the mixture to a shallow container and put in the freezer, covered, for at least eight hours.