Strawberries with Zabaglione
Soft zabaglione covers strawberries sauted in sugar and wine; a brittle sugar crust covers the tops. Chef Bartolotta serves this pretty dish in large two-handled cups. It may also be made in any attractive small bowls or even large coffee cups. He also has an interesting way of measuring the wine and sugar for the zabaglione — he saves half of one of the egg shells as a quick measuring spoon.
Ingredients
- Strawberries - 4 cups, hulled and sliced
- Unsalted Butter - 4 teaspoons
- Sugar - 4 teaspoons
- Vin Santo Wine - 1/4 cup (alt. Marsala or other sweet dessert wine)
- Sponge cake - Four 3-inch rounds, 1/2-inch thick
- Zabaglione
- Egg Yolks - 4
- Vin Santo Wine - 1/4 cup (alt. Marsala or other sweet dessert wine)
- Water - 2 tablespoons
- Sugar - 1/4 cup
- Strawberries - 4 large, hulls on, sliced vertically into thin slices
Instructions
To prepare the strawberries. Put the strawberries in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat and add the butter and sugar. Cook about 1-1/2 minutes, until the butter and sugar have blended and formed a glaze on the berries, tossing gently to keep from sticking. Pour in the wine and stir up any bits from the bottom of the pan; let the mixture bubble until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from heat.
Press a sponge cake round into the bottom of each of four serving cups. Sprinkle with a little Vin Santo. Divide the strawberries among the cups.
To make the zabaglione: Place all ingredients for the zabaglione in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Do not allow the water to touch the bottom. Whisk the ingredients to combine. Continue whisking, developing a frothy mixture. Use the whisk to scrape around the sides of the pan, keeping them clean. The mixture will increase in volume and lighten as you whisk. When the mixture begins to bubble slightly around the edges, whisk more briskly; the mixture will thicken and increase further in volume. Whisk until it is thick and shiny. Remove from heat and continue whisking vigorously as the mixture cools, about 2 minutes.
The zabaglione may also be made more quickly over low direct heat, moving the pan on and off the heat continually as it cooks to keep it from becoming too hot; if it becomes too hot, the eggs will scramble. This direct heat method requires practice and experience.
To serve: Preheat the broiler to high. Pour the zabaglione over the strawberries. Place the cups on a baking sheet for easy handling and cover the top of each with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Broil until the sugar melts and begins to brown, about 1 minute. Remove and let the bubbling stop and the sugar become hard. Fan a sliced strawberry on the top of each and place the cups on individual serving plates.
