Anti-ageing Zabaglione

When I was in Upper Sixth our Small Common Room was turned into a library/dining room. I think the Housemaster was trying to stop it being used as a dumping ground, but he encouraged us nevertheless to make use of the facility so we decided to host a Dinner Party. Naturally we went with Italian, being the sophisticated young things that we were (that, and the fact that Italian is often budget-friendly and easy-to-cook) and we sallied forth into the Housemaster’s kitchen with our recipes and a good deal of gusto. And buy gusto, I mean Marsala, which had been purchased on our behalf at the Village Off-licence after we received written permission from the Headmaster.

I can’t recall what we ate for starters, though I am certain that the main course was a Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni with Tomato Sauce on the top. I have no idea what it tasted like because I’m fairly sure we were all pissed by that point, on booze that had been authorised and some that hadn’t. The dessert was Zabaglione ice-cream, which turned out to be so delicious that during the 24 hours that seperated the making and the eating, we all kept finding reasons to ‘check’ that it was still alright so that, by the night itself, over half the ice-cream had mysteriously disappeared!

It was one of those nights that I shall always remember, from the moon-and-stars drapes and candlesticks that we appropriated from various people’s rooms (so mid-90’s student), to the speeches that the carefully selected invitees (boys of course) gave, to the fact that whilst the Headmaster had given us written permission to buy and consume alcohol, he neglected to revoke our privileges at the Sixth Form bar. So when I saw that this month’s Forever Nigella cooking challenge at Maison Cupcake, I knew exactly what I was going to make.

Zabaglione: egg yolks, sugar and Marsala. As Nigella says, the recipe probably predates electricity.

 

A little heat, a little beating, and you have possibly the best dessert in the world. No, seriously. And I am the person who will always choose Fondant au Chocolat, given a choice. But I had forgotten how sublime, how smooth, how silky, how soft and deep and soothing Zabaglione is. It’s like your first ever taste of foam from the top of your Dad’s pint of bitter. Lighter than a cream, softer than a mousse, if it weren’t for the Marsala you’d think you’d accidentally eaten the newest anti-ageing handcreme. In fact, it might well be anti-ageing: one spoonful and I was that awkward seventeen-year-old again, pretending to be a grown-up.

 

Two things:

• the recipe was in Nigella’s  How to Eat and was not altered in any way. It’d be a challenge given that there are only three ingredients.

• if you want to make Zabaglione Ice Cream,  just add lots of whipped double cream and freeze. And ‘check’ frequently.