Zabaglione Semi Freddo with Marsala Sauce

For those living in the Southern Hemisphere, with the warm weather and Christmas fast approaching a gorgeous dessert that can be celebrated. For the lovers of Zabaglione this is another alternative that will leave you and your friends wanting more.

Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups Marsala
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup slivered almonds (toasted)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (toasted)
350 ml cream (whipped)
1/2 cup caster sugar (for the toffee)

Preparation Time:    15 minutes
Cooking Time:     15-20 minutes
Chilling Time:      8 hours
Serves:     8-10

Whip the cream until firm and refrigerate until needed.  In a bowl place the egg yolks, vanilla, 1 cup of Marsala, sugar and whisk to combine all the ingredients.

Fill one third of a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Sit the bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.  Whisk continuously for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick and foamy (resembling thickened cream).   The Zabaglione should hold its form when you drizzle some from the whisk.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  Place the Zabaglione bowl in a bowl of iced water whisking for another few minutes until the mixture has cooled.  Once cooled, gently fold in the whipped cream and slivered almonds.  Pour the Zabaglione into a loaf tin (approximately 28cm x 14cm) lined with plastic wrap and freeze for 8 hours.

Marsala Sauce
Combine the remaining Marsala in a small saucepan and stir over low heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes until syrupy.  Remove from the heat  and set aside until you are ready to serve.

Remove the Zabaglione from the freezer, allow to stand for a few minutes. Open the plastic wrap and place on a board to cut.  Cut the Semi Freddo into 2cm thick slices or 4cm thick slices and then cut the piece in half.

To serve, drizzle the Marsala sauce and sprinkle with sliced almonds and top with a piece of  toffee.

Toffee
In a small saucepan, place the extra 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat.  The sugar will gradually melt then burn turning into an amber liquid.  Turn the heat off and allow to cool just slightly.  Place a sheet of baking paper on a large baking tray and either gently drizzle the toffee using a fork, spoon or wooden spoon onto the paper. You may wish to create a few patterns with the toffee by cutting out different shapes etc.  You can be creative however, do take care whilst working with toffee.  Its temperature is very high.

Cook’s Tips

Whilst making the Zabaglione you may need to adjust the temperature a little during the cooking process.

When making the Marsala sauce do not overcook or the syrup will harden when cooled.

Enjoy!