Classic Zabaglione With Figs And Amaretti Recipe

Italian cuisine has proven to be a very successful export indeed. Pizzas and pastas are ubiquitous around the world, and it's not hard to see why. To follow on from these well-loved main dishes, there are some famous Italian desserts such as tiramisu and, of course, the king of ice creams; gelato. But have you heard of zabaglione?

Perhaps a less well-known dish, Zabaglione is Italy's take on the custard-based dessert. France has its crême brulée, Spain has its crema catalan, and Italy has zabaglione. It is similar to the crema catalana, except it contains a kick of strong alcohol in the form of Marsala wine. Brief pronunciation note: The "gli" combination of letters denotes a "lyee" sound in Italian, so for that authentic pronunciation, say it: "za-ba-lyee-OH-nay."

With its gentle sweetness and light, creamy texture, followed by the boozy aftertaste of dry Marsala wine, Zabaglione is the perfect dish to round off an Italian meal. This version, devised by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, is served with fresh figs, a pinch of earthy nutmeg, and an amaretti biscuit or two to dip in the rich custard. The dramatic reddish-purple of the fig looks visually striking set against the pale creamy tone of the custard, and the robust fruity texture provides a lovely contrast to the velvety smoothness of the custard, making for a truly winning combination. Buon appetito!

To begin this classic zabaglione with figs and amaretti recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want sugar, egg yolks, Marsala wine, ground nutmeg and, to serve, fresh figs, and amaretti biscuits.

Whisk the sugar and the egg yolks together in a large heatproof bowl using a balloon whisk or handheld electric whisk until they have thickened.

Set up a Bain Marie and place the bowl containing the whisked sugar and eggs over the saucepan of hot water.

Continue to whisk the egg and sugar mixture over the Bain Marie for 3 to 4 minutes, before slowly pouring in the Marsala wine.

Keep whisking the mixture over the Bain Marie for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture is thickened to the point where it holds its form for a few seconds.

Remove the bowl containing the zabaglione from the heat and set to one side. Meanwhile, slice the fresh figs.

Serve the zabaglione either warm or cold with fresh fig, a pinch of nutmeg, and a few amaretti biscuits each.

Marsala wine is the usual alcohol in a zabaglione, but if you want to swap it out for a different alcohol of choice, you can. For instance, if you've prepared a chicken Marsala for your main, it could well be overkill to have it as one of the main features of your dessert too. An alternative Italian dessert wine, such as a sweet Torcolato or a complex Vin Santo would make for good choices if you want to lean into the sweetness of the dish. Alternatively, if you want an even stronger alcoholic kick with your dessert, you could use a spirit, like a rum or a brandy.

There are no hard and fast rules, so it really all comes down to your own personal preference. Be aware, however, that because the custard only brings a delicate flavor to the dish, whichever alcohol you use will be the dominant flavor, so be sure to pick something you know you like!

It is possible to make zabaglione straight in the pan, but this should only really be attempted by the most brave and daring home chefs, as there is a much greater risk of burning the custard. In the recipe for this dessert, Rye recommends the use of a Bain Marie. To make this, simply heat up some water in a pan until it is barely simmering, and then place a bowl over it. A heatproof glass bowl is ideal for this, although traditionally, round-bottomed copper dishes are used. 

Using this cooking technique has two advantages, making the dish harder to get wrong. Firstly, the bowls have perfectly round bottoms, unlike pans which have tricky corners, which makes it easy to whisk the mixture more fully. Secondly, because the water is heating the mixture inside the bowl, rather than it being sat directly on the heat source, it acts as a temperature buffer, allowing the custard to thicken at a lower temperature. This means it is much less likely for the custard to become overcooked. If you want to give yourself the best chance possible of making the perfect Zabaglione, you'll find the Bain Marie technique really useful.

Zabaglione is delicious served either hot or cold, so your first step is to decide which of these you want to go for. If you choose to serve it hot, it is best to serve the zabaglione straight away once it is made. It is possible to let it cool to room temperature before storing it in the fridge to be reheated at a later stage, but the custard will lose its freshness in the reheating process, and if it is reheated too quickly, it could become lumpy. Luckily, it doesn't take too long to cook, so if you have guests it is easy enough to whip up between dinner and dessert. 

If you are looking to serve the zabaglione cold, it can easily be prepared in advance. Remember to let it cool down to room temperature before putting it in the fridge so the temperature change occurs more gradually. This is also more energy efficient as your fridge won't have to work as hard to refrigerate something at room temperature. Stored in an air-tight container in the fridge, your zabaglione will keep at its best for 24 hours.