8 egg yolks
2 cups honey
2 tablespoons cognac
2 tablespoons crème friache
½ cup blueberries
½ cup raspberries
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
2 tsp bee pollen (optional)
For either of the alcohols, you may substitute: rum, brandy, triple sec, Grand Marnier. If you want to go non-alcoholic, use apricot nectar, orange juice, or 1 tsp lemon juice per tablespoon of alcohol.
If blueberries and raspberries are not available or very expensive, you can substitute any fresh fruit, especially fruits that have a bit of tartness to them. If you use melons, at 2 tsp of lemon or lime juice to balance the sweetness.
Equipment:
Small bowl
Silicone spatula
Stand mixer
2 qt saucepan
Candy thermometer (or small bowl with ice water and a spoon)
• Wash and dry the berries
• Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in the mixing bowl, and either store or dispose of the whites.
1. Place the berries in a small bowl.
2. Add honey and Grand Marnier. Stir to combine and let sit for at least 10 minutes and no more than an hour.
3. Begin mixing the egg yolks at high speed.
4. Pour the honey into a 2-qt saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring the honey to a boil and let boil until it reaches the soft ball stage. Note that honey reaches the soft ball stage at 270⁰F, unlike a sugar syrup that reaches the soft ball stage at 240⁰F. If using a candy thermometer, you will see 270⁰F labeled “hard ball”, because this is the temperature at which a sugar syrup reaches the hard ball stage. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, use a spoon to collect some of the boiling syrup, and place the spoon with the syrup into a small bowl with ice water. If the syrup turns into a malleable soft ball, you have reached the soft ball stage.
5. By now, the egg yolks should look light lemon in color, should appear “fluffy” and should have just about doubled in volume.
6. Slowly drizzle the hot honey syrup down the side of the mixing bowl into the whipped yolks with the mixer on high speed.
7. The egg yolks will get very thin and will look very liquid. This is normal: don’t freak out. Keep pouring until all the honey has been incorporated.
8. Once all the honey has been added, at 2 tablespoons of your favorite liquor. I like cognac for this.
9. Continue to whip at high speed until you can see whisk marks in the egg mixture as it’s being whipped. This means the mixture has started to thicken to the right consistency.
10. Pour about ¼ cup of the sabayon into each of two small bowls. Spoon the fruit mixture on top. Top with a tablespoon of crème friache per bowl.
11. If you have bee pollen, sprinkle it over the dish, making sure to get some on the crème friache, where the color of the bee pollen will serve as a nice contrast to the pure white crème friache.
I’ve found that in a 5 qt stand mixer, the smallest batch of sabayon you can make is with 8 egg yolks. While the total cost of this will be less than had you bought two desserts out at a restaurant, some people might have an issue with the waste. You can scale the recipe to 4 yolks and 1 cup of honey, but you’ll need to either use electric hand beaters or be very quick with a whisk and do it manually. I don’t recommend the manual option unless you’re a very skilled cook.
Any excess sabayon can be refrigerated and eaten over the course of the next few days. Also, when it’s still warm the first day you’ve made it, it’s nice and spreadable… I’ll let you use your imagination for how you can use the extra to add a little fun to your “dessert” after dessert.
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