Crème Anglaise, Sabayon, or Zabaglione?

When I worked at Empire Distributors in Atlanta, I worked with Mr. Tony Ridings. At the time, he was their top salesperson and spoke fluent Italian. His dad was in the Air Force and was stationed in Italy for a while. His mom taught Tony how to make a Italian dessert using a fork. He showed me how he did it. It involved egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine. He called it Zabaglione. It reminded me a lot of the Sabayon I used to make at the Greenhouse in Captiva. There was a good reason for that. It's the same sauce. Zabaglione is the Italian name and Sabayon is the French. 

Zabaglione originated in northern Italy. It was first mentioned in the 1500's, so it's been around for a long time. The classic recipe calls for whipping egg yolks with sugar and Marsala wine in a bain-marie (water bath). This method ensures a creamy consistency while incorporating air to make it light. 

France, being just across the border, adopted the dessert and called it Sabayon. The core preparation stayed the same but they used different wines or liquors instead of Marsala. 

Sabayon is meant to be served warm, as soon as you are finished making it. I've seen it prepared tableside in some restaurants and served on top of whatever fresh berries are in season. I've also seen it prepared, placed on top of fresh berries and then browned with a torch or under a salamander. 

Some restaurants serve it chilled and add whipped cream to help stabilize the sauce so that it will last for a full dinner service. This accounts for the lighter color. I think this diminishes the intensity of the flavors. 

In most professional kitchens, Sabayon is made in a copper bowl. The copper has a chemical reaction with the egg yolks to make a more stable structure. It also provides even heat and can quickly cool down. It has a rough surface which provides friction which makes the yolks whip up quicker and with more volume, which gives it a smoother airy texture. The drawbacks are copper bowls are expensive and require constant polishing to prevent tarnishing. Stainless steel and glass both work, require less maintenance and are less expensive. 

For years, Zabaglione was on almost every Italian restaurant's dessert list. Now, the dessert mainstay is Tiramisu. Times change. Dishes go in and out of fashion. Some restaurants actually use Zabaglione in their recipe for Tiramisu. 

 

The French also make a savory Sabayon to use as a sauce for fish, seafood, vegetables, or eggs. The preparation is similar but instead of sugar and sweet wine, the base is flavored with reduced fish stock, white wine, champagne, or vermouth. They will sometimes include a bit of lemon juice, herbs, or mustard. Sometimes this savory Sabayon is used as a sauce or glaze for chicken, pork, or veal. 

I have used it as a sweet sauce for berries and as a savory sauce with salmon surrounded by spinach. It is versatile, easy and quick to prepare. The only problem is it's fragile nature and short life span. As an a la minute sauce it is hard to beat. It has a simple pure flavor.  

It's this simple pure flavor that makes it such a favorite among my friends and a favorite of the customers in my restaurants back when I was in the business. I have one friend, who shall remain nameless, who liked it so much that I caught her in the kitchen after dinner at my house one night with her head in the copper bowl licking the last bit of Sabayon. Rest assured, I have never let her forget this. We all have our foibles. 

I typically use Kahlúa or Tia Maria as my flavor element. On occasion, I have used Grand Marnier and orange zest.  

There is another sauce that looks similar to Sabayon / Zabaglione called Crème Anglaise. It is so similar, just by looks, you would swear it was Sabayon. It too is used with fresh berries. It starts out with egg yolks and sugar being whipped and warmed. 

There is no wine or liquor component. It is always flavored with vanilla, either extract, seeds, or paste. It is always served cold, in fact it doesn't reach its peak thickness until it is cold. It has a milk / cream component that pure Sabayon doesn't. Therefore, its taste is much different. It is always strained, which makes it lighter and smoother. 

It is basically a thin custard and in fact you can put it in an ice cream maker and you will have vanilla ice cream, a very rich one. It can be used as an ice cream base by adding flavors from chocolate to banana to peach to whatever you want. It too is very versatile.

Crème Anglaise translates to English Cream. The technique for making custards dates back to the Middle Ages in England. France being just across the English Channel adopted the dish, but to be fair, did give it the name Crème Anglaise. Over the centuries French chefs refined the recipe into a more delicate preparation. It became a cornerstone of French patisserie, serving as a base for numerous desserts. 

In my restaurants, I used it extensively as a dessert sauce, especially with chocolate. It was the base sauce for a flourless chocolate cake and a bittersweet chocolate terrine. Sometimes because raspberry couli goes so well with chocolate, I would do a Yin and Yang on the plate with both sauces and then place the chocolate on top. It and the raspberry couli would keep for a couple of days so I could make a larger amount. 

Crème Anglaise has a universal appeal. I haven't met too many people who don't love it. This past Christmas Eve, Sally and I hosted dinner for the family. There are eleven of us, six adults and five grandbabies. For dessert I did a mix and match affair. We had rum cake, sliced strawberries, chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and Crème Anglaise. All the adults had a mix of everything. The grandchildren, of course, each had a different combination. After tasting the Crème Anglaise, everyone of them had a combination with the Crème Anglaise as a component. I made all of them taste it. It's a rule in our house that you don't have to eat it, but you do have to at least taste it. That's how you can tell if it's Crème Anglaise, Sabayon, or Zabaglione.

  Crème Anglaise

        12 - Grade A Large Egg Yolks            2 - Cups Granulated Sugar 

         1 - Qt. Whole Milk                              1 - Pinch Kosher Salt

         1 - Pint Heavy Cream                        2 - Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

In a bowl whip egg yolks and sugar until ribbons form. In a stainless steel-lined sauce pot heat milk and cream until it is almost to a boil. Temper yolk mixture by adding two ladles of hot milk/cream mixture, stirring all the while, being careful not to curdle the egg yolks. Pour warmed egg yolk mixture into the pot of hot milk/cream. Add vanilla extract. Lower heat and continue stirring until slightly thickened. You can do this over direct heat but you have to be careful not to cook too much or too fast or you will curdle the egg yolks. 

Remove from heat and whip custard over an ice bath until cool.  Place in a stainless steel container and top with a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Place container in the refrigerator and chill thoroughly.

Makes a great sauce or if you want ice cream, once thoroughly chilled, place in ice cream freezer and freeze following manufacturer’s directions.

     Sabayon / Zabaglione

            6 - Grade A Large Egg Yolks          ½ - Cup Granulated Sugar
            ⅔ - Cup Dry Marsala*

Fill a pan with 1/2 inch water and put it over medium heat. In a copper bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick -- this will take about 3 minutes of vigorous whisking.

When it reaches this stage, whisk the Marsala into the eggs and set the bowl over the simmering water. Continue whisking, scraping the entire base of the pan as you go. The zabaglione will become fluffy and foamy and will begin to gain in volume. Remove from the heat and continue whisking so it doesn't overcook. Return to the heat if you need to. It is done when it clings to a spoon like a loose pudding. Spoon into 4 small glass dishes or low stemmed glasses. Serve warm or chilled, with a dish of biscotti for a real Italian twist. Its flavors are best when served warm.

*This is the classic recipe for Sabayon / Zabaglione. You can substitute Grand Mariner, Kahlua, Tia Maria, or any other sweet wine or liquor you like.

This is a stand alone dessert or a great sauce for chocolate pastry or fresh fruit or berries. I occasionally add Lemon or Orange zest as a finishing note.