Zabaione with Fresh Berries

My Dad doesn't get much kitchen time in these days between me, my Mom and my sister but he has a couple of specialties that for which we'll gladly step aside- cast iron blackened fish, fresh cinnamon rolls, bagna calda, and magic star biscuits to name a few. One of his FAVORITE desserts to make is zabaione. It an Italian egg custard, whipped until light and foamy and served over fresh berries. After a great dinner at Hank's seafood restaurant downtown, Dad was inspired to whip some up for dessert.

He started with 12 egg yolks in the metal Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and added 3/4 cup white sugar. (The ratio to use is 1/4 sugar to every 4 egg yolks if you want to scale the recipe.) He then set the metal bowl over a pot of simmering/barely boiling water to create a make shift double boiler. With a handheld mixer, he beat the eggs and sugar over the hot water for about 7 or 8 minutes until it was light, foamy and a pale yellow color. Last time I tried to make this by myself, my water was too hot and my yolks started to cook, resulting in a gluey, gummy mess- so be careful.

Once the consistency was right, he added 3 or 4 Tablespoons of Marsala wine, mixed it until incorporated and set it off the heat to cool a little bit. Meanwhile I filled four large martini glasses (large red wine glasses also make for a beautiful presentation) about half way with fresh sliced strawberries and raspberries. Dad poured the custard over the top and we garnished with a few more berries. *These portions were quite large, you could definitely serve this for six people.

It is a very quick dessert though at the same time very sophisticated; rich yet light and airy. I was thankful to have another lesson on the subject from Dad, I'll surely be making it again soon!