Raspberry Zabaione Fool

I’m taking liberties here by marrying two countries (Italy and England) to come up with this dessert – part fool and part zabaione.   A fruit fool is an English dessert made with whipped cream, crushed fruit and is gently folded together.   Zabaione is a custard-like dessert.  I’m not a fan of desserts bathed in alcohol but elderflower liqueur is so delicate and pinpointing its flavor is difficult as there are hints of passionfruit, pear and grapefruit.  The first time I encountered this liqueur was at Bond 45.  I ordered a glass of prosecco and David, the bartender, added a splash of St. Germain and wanted to know what I thought.  It was so delicious that the next day I purchased a bottle of it.  That’s all she wrote!

Serves 4
2 pints fresh raspberries, washed and sprinkled with a bit of white sugar
6 egg yokes
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup St. Germain elderflower liqueur (you can also use prosecco or sauvignon blanc)
a pinch of salt

In a heat-proof bowl whisk egg yokes and sugar.  Place over a pot of simmering – not boiling – water and whisk until thick and creamy (about 5 minutes).   Slowly add liqueur to egg mixture along with a pinch of salt and continue whisking over the simmering water for another 5 minutes or until it becomes thick and smooth like soft whipped cream.  When whisking, try doing figure eights – the idea is to keep the mixture moving in an up and over motion allowing air to be incorporated into the zabaione.

Remove from heat and whisk a bit more to allow the zabaione to cool slightly.  Place a few raspberries on the bottom of a dish followed by a generous dollop of zabaione.  Top again with more raspberries and zabaione.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:   This did not last long!  Use other fruit such as sliced macerated strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries.  Another variation is to place raspberries in a shallow gratin dish topped with zabaione, a few sprinkles of white sugar and broil until sugar becomes golden brown.  Enjoy!