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Highbrow/Lowbrow Apricot Zabaglione Ice Cream

The other day I posted an apricot zabaglione I made with Prosecco. It’s an elegant dessert that Ken and I enjoyed with a nice bottle of Botrytis cinerea kissed Castello di Amorosa Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. It was a very sophisticated way to end a meal for two people. But the recipe made six servings. Meaning we had plenty of leftover zabaglione. Zabaglione is not the kind of thing you can wrap up and keep in the fridge for another day. Zabaglione isn’t a good candidate for leftovers.

Coincidentally– Nathan (The Chocolate of Meats), Andy (The Wind Attack) and I were recording an episode of The Table Set podcast the very next evening. We had decided to devote an entire podcast to all things Ice Cream. The episode will have you partying like it’s 1899 and should hit the airwaves in the next few days. Which got the gears in my head a turnin’.

Now if you listen to The Table Set at all (and I know you do!). Then you know we have a recurring theme. We call it Highbrow/Lowbrow. Though we really should call it Lowbrow/Highbrow because it usually involves taking something a bit crass, rough, or uncivilized and turning the volume up on it a little bit– making something easily dismissed as tacky or tasteless into something hip, cool or even downright elegant.

So I got it in my head to do a true Highbrow/Lowbrow number on my already chic apricot zabaglione by making it more familiar. So I decided to transform this silky, frothy Italian dessert into a tasty version of good ole American-style apricot ice cream. Everyone loves ice cream. Meaning its a dessert for the masses.

But I failed. I’m not saying I failed turning apricot zagablione into ice cream. Nope I hit a home run with that idea. My ice cream turned out silky smooth, with a very full mouth feel. It tasted super creamy with just the barest hint of fruit. In other words it was a very subtle, very sophisticated super-highbrow dish of frozen perfection.Maybe I should have added sprinkles?? Whats more lowbrow than that?  GREG

Apricot Zabaglione Ice Cream serves 6 CLICK here for a printable recipe

  • 1 1/2 c plus 2 tablespoons Prosecco, divided
  • 1 1/3 c sugar, divided
  • 3 (4“x1”) strips fresh lemon zest
  • 1 pn kosher salt
  • firm-ripe fresh apricots, halved & pitted
  • 1 T apricot nectar
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 c cream

Set a large saucepan over high heat. Add 1 1/2 cups Prosecco, 1 cup sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook until slightly thickened about 6 minutes. Add apricots and poach at a bare simmer, turning occasionally, until fruit is tender but still holds its shape and skins are intact, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to come to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Put the egg yolks and remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl and whisk for 5 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and continue to whisk, drizzling in a little of the remaining Prosecco and apricot nectar every now and then, until the mixture almost triples in volume and is light, foamy and barely holding in soft peaks, about 15 minutes. Take care not to get the mixture too hot or it will start to cook. Remove from heat and set aside to come to room temperture.

In the mea time take the cooled poached apricots out of its liquid (save the poaching liquid for another use) and put them into a medium bowl. Mash into a rough paste with a fork. Stir in the cream until well- incorporated. Whisk in the cooled egg mixture until frothy. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Greg Henry writes the food blog Sippity Sup- Serious Fun Food, and contributes the Friday column on entertaining forThe Back Burner at Key Ingredient. He’s active in the food blogging community, and a popular speaker at IFBC, Food Buzz Festival and Camp Blogaway. He’s led cooking demonstrations in PanamaCosta Rica, and has traveled as far and wide as Norway to promote culinary travel. He’s been featured in Food & Wine Magazine, Los Angeles Times, More Magazine, The Today Show Online and Saveur’s Best of the Web. Greg also co-hosts The Table Set podcast which can be downloaded on iTunes or at Homefries Podcast Network.

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  • Look for Greg’s book Savory Pies coming Nov 2012, from Ulysses Press

Apricot Zabaglione