Recipe: Italian Fruit Salad with Sta Bene Honey Zabaglione

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	Users > AngelaG > Michael Chiarello''s "Casual Cooking" > Sweet Things > Italian Fruit Salad with Sta Bene Honey Zabaglione

Italian Fruit Salad with Sta Bene Honey Zabaglione

Salad:
1/2 pint		strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 lb		apricots, plums, or pluots, sliced
2		peaches, peeled if desired, sliced
1/2 pint		blueberries
2 Tbs		Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1 Tbs		superfine sugar, or more to taste
1 tsp		grated lemon zest
Zabaglione:
6		egg yolks
1/4 cup		honey
1/2 cup		dry white wine
3/4 cup		heavy cream, whipped to firm peaks

Make the salad: In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, apricots, peaches, and blueberries. Add the Cointreau, 1 tablespoon sugar, and lemon zest. Toss gently, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Make the zabaglione: In a large stainless-steel bowl or the top pan of a double boiler, whisk the egg yolks with the honey until blended. Set the bowl over�not touching�simmering water and whisk vigorously until the mixture lightens in color and thickens and the whisk leaves a trail, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and continue whisking constantly until the mixture is pale, thick, and greatly expanded in volume, about 10 minutes. The mixture will curdle if it gets too hot, so whisk it off the heat for a few seconds if you fear the eggs are cooking too fast.

When the zabaglione is light, fluffy, and capable of holding a soft peak, transfer the bowl to a larger bowl filled with ice water to cool the zabaglione quickly. When cool, fold in the whipped cream. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

To serve, divide the fruit among 6 compote dishes or small plates. Put a dollop of zabaglione alongside.

Servings: 6

Recipe Type

Dessert

Recipe Source

Italians often serve a macerated fruit salad (macedonia) for dessert, and its contents will typically change with the seasons. I've used summer fruits here, but you could follow the same outline to make a winter macedonia with pineapple, bananas, oranges, apples, and grapes. Change the liqueur to rum or sambuca, if you prefer.

The honey zabaglione stays stable for a couple of days, which is why I call it sta bene, which loosely means that it holds well. You can serve the zabaglione chilled or, if you like, you can make it in front of your guests and serve it at room temperature.