A boozy, pick-me-up pudding for your Chrismas get-together, great served over fruit, or on a bed of crushed amaretti
Though I won’t hear a word said against Christmas pudding, this “warm, wine-scented froth”, as Marcella Hazan beautifully describes zabaglione, is surely the ultimate festive dessert: rich yet light, easy to knock up at the last minute and, crucially, boozy enough to put everyone in a good mood. As Angela Hartnett warns, “don’t eat zabaglione and drive – it’s very potent!”
Some of us might remember it from a time when it was a staple of the dessert trolley in Italian restaurants lit by chianti candlelight. But, according to Katie Caldesi, zabaglione is an ancient Venetian speciality, with its roots in the warming eggnogs common throughout medieval Europe, “simply flavoured in France and Italy, highly spiced in England”, if Harold McGee is to be believed. Indeed, food writer Giuliano Bugialli claims that zabaglione was “originally served as a tonic, stirred into morning coffee”, which sounds a good way to start the day at this time of year. Alternatively, serve it as a dessert-cum-digestif after dinner – preferably once the kids are safely in bed. A glorious cloud of pure pleasure that you can whip up in less than 10 minutes. Really, why wouldn’t you?
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