Peaches, Berries, & Cream

Jul 11 2011

Peaches, Berries, & Cream

I wanted to prepare a low impact dessert, one that wouldn't heat up the kitchen to an insufferable temperature. I usually eat peaches and raspberries on their own, but every now and then I like to dress up my dessert. In this case, the bow-tie that dappered up the fruit was a homemade honey sabayon cream.

Not wanting to mess with already perfect specimens, recipe author Deborah Madison leaves the berries and peaches alone. The only preparation for the peaches involves quickly dropping them into boiling water to aid in removing their skins (Note: This is a useful technique for removing tomato skins when a recipe calls for peeling the tomatoes.).

The fruit is tossed with a honey sabayon cream, whipped cream, and a raspberry syrup. This dessert is a quick way to brighten up your afternoon or evening: it tastes and looks like a proper garden party dessert, but if you're like me and don't have a garden, eat it on your couch out of wine glasses.

Peaches & Raspberries with Honey Sabayon

Recipe from: Seasonal Fruit Desserts

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup Marsala

1/2 cup heavy cream

6 peaches

1-2 handfuls of raspberries

1/4 cup raspberry sauce (2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, drops of lemon juice)

Directions:

Step 1: Make the raspberry sauce

a) Put the berries in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and 1/3 cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook until the fruit softens, 2 minutes.

b) Pour into a sieve (or fine mesh colander) over a bowl. Force the pulp and juice through, leaving the seeds behind. Add a few drops of lemon juice. Refrigerate.

Step 2: Make the sabayon

a) Set a bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bowl doesn't touch the water. Break the yolks into the bowl, and then whisk in the honey and wine. Whisk constantly until the sauce is thick and foamy. This took me about 4 minutes of constant whisking.

b) Refrigerate immediately

Step 3: Make the whipped cream

Whip the cream into firm peaks. Once the sabayon has chilled, fold the whipped cream into the sabayon. Refrigerate.

Step 4: Put it all together

a) Dip the peaches into boiling water for 10 seconds. Transfer them to a bowl of ice and slip off their skins.

b) Slice the peaches into a bowl.

c) Assemble: add peaches and raspberries to the bottom of a bowl or wine glass. Layer sabayon on top. Continue layering fruit and sabayon. Finally, drizzle with the berry sauce. Delicious!