Grapefruit Zabaglione Over Mixed Berries

Serves 6

 This coming Saturday is Armed Forces Day. It is a day set aside to pay tribute to the men and women who serve with the United States’ armed forces.  Louis Johnson, who was the Secretary of Defense in 1949, announced the creation of this day to replace separate Armed Forces days and so the first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on May 20, 1950. I’m always in favor of celebrating our brave forces, so with that in mind, I think that a nice little red, white, and blue desert is in order and this one is just that:

Ingredients:

3 C. Mixed Berries (such as quartered strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)

4 Egg Yolks

1/3 C. Sugar

1/4 C. Fresh Grapefruit Juice (I used the red kind)

Pink Kosher Salt

Grated Grapefruit Zest

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss the berries together.  Spoon the berries into serving dishes or glasses.
2. Combine the egg yolks with the sugar, grapefruit juice, and salt in the top part of a double boiler or in a glass or metal dish that will act like the top of a double boiler. Beat the ingredients with a wire whisk until the mixture is a pale yellow.
3. If you don’t have a double boiler, find a lower pan that is large enough to accommodate your upper bowl without the bottom of the upper bowl being able to touch the bottom of the lower pan. Place a little water in your bottom pan being careful that the top bowl or double boiler top DOES NOT touch the water.  SIMMER the water in the lower pan, being careful that it does not evaporate, and keep whisking the egg yolk mixture continually for about 4 to 5 minutes—or until the mixture has become creamy, thick, and about triple volume.
4. Spoon the mixture over the berries and top with a sprinkling of the zest and a dab of Greek Yogurt.
5. Serve immediately and voila, a lovely red, white, and blue delicious desert.

This is a dish that my mother made very often and it was definitely a favorite of mine. There are various varieties of it as follows: for the traditional Italian dish for desert instead of grapefruit juice, Madeira, Marsala or sherry is used.  For a more delicate flavor with a fluffier appearance, you can beat the egg whites until stiff and combine them after you have made your yolk sauce.  For the German version, you can place in a double boiler top 2 Cups of white wine, 1/2 cup of water, 4 unbeaten eggs, 1/2 cup sugar and continue as in the directions above.  It’s also a nice sauce to serve over or with pound cake.  Actually it’s such an easy and delightful desert to create and enjoy that one can now find different variations of it in many foreign countries. 

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& please feel free to email her @ TempInnKeeper@mindspring.com or to visit her blog for more recipes including these: http://blog.TempInnKeeper.com

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.