NIGELLA GONE ALL WRONG

I tried to make another recipe for this month’s Weekend Cookbook Challenge; a simple one that I thought I could throw together and post about real quick-like.

Zabaglione

I mean, c’mon – it’s three ingredients.  THREE!!  2 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar and 4 tablespoons of Marsala.  Put the yolks in a bowl with the sugar and whip over simmering water until they triple in size and whisk in the wine.  Hello?!?  Any moron can do this.

Well, I’m not just any moron - let me be clear about that!

I put the yolks in a bowl (they did look kind of small) with the sugar (confectioners, can’t get finer than that!) and I got the old hand mixer out and went to town!  They turned nice and pale and expanded about a quarter larger and I thought all was well.

And then nothing.

They never got any larger.  I mixed and mixed and mixed and in the end I had about three tablespoons of very sweet, candy-like egg yolks. 

I have no idea what went wrong.  Help!  Anyone?  Anyone? 

Update (02/13/08):

Watching Alton, I just saw him make “fine” sugar in the food processor.  Oh, that involved regular sugar in the Cuisinart for two minutes.  Anyway, the little factoid-blurb said confectioner’s sugar has “corn starch and other additives” in it.  Have I found my issue?  Corn starch would thicken water and fat (egg yolks are made up of both).  I believe I have found the problem!  As Homer would say, “I am so smart. S-M-R-T”

About these ads