ICE WINE SABAYON; POACHED YELLOW PEACH, RED CURRANT
IN THE EARLY SUMMER, peaches, nectarines, and red currants ripen at the same time. So we thought to marry them again and turn them into jewels dotting an ice wine sabayon crown. Its Italian cousin, the zabaglione, is typically made with Marsala wine, but our version incorporates an ice wine, a very sweet wine made from grapes left to freeze on the vine.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Poached Peaches
Ice Wine Syrup
Currant Gelée
Instructions
For the Poached Peaches
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Score an × on the bottoms of the peaches with a sharp paring knife. Boil the peaches for 1 minute, or until the skins start to loosen around the scored bottoms. Scoop the peaches from the water, chill in the ice water, and peel the skins. Combine 1 quart water, the wines, and the sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil until the sugar dissolves. Cool the syrup, submerge the peeled peaches, and marinate, chilled, for 3 days.
For the Ice Wine Sabayon
  1. Soak the gelatin sheets in ice water for 10 minutes; squeeze dry. In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks, cover, and keep chilled. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, whip the yolks with ¼ cup of the sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat two-thirds of the ice wine with the remaining ½ cup sugar to 250°F. While whipping, pour the hot ice wine mixture into the yolks in a slow stream until well combined. Add the gelatin and whip until dissolved. Add the remaining ice wine and continue to whip on medium speed until the mixture cools to room temperature.
  2. With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the sabayon until no streaks remain, being careful not to overmix. Divide the sabayon into six 6-to 8-ounce molds of your choice: We recommend Flexipan silicone molds (in the photo we used Demarle Flexipan mold Ref 402); or use ramekins or parfait glasses. If using Flexipan molds, freeze for 1 hour, or until set, unmold, and transfer to the refrigerator for 1 hour. If using ramekins or glasses, chill in the refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.
For the Ice Wine Syrup
  1. In a small bowl, mix 1½ tablespoons of the sugar with the pectin. In a medium saucepan, combine the ice wine with the remaining 4½ tablespoons sugar, and simmer until dissolved. Whisk in the pectin mixture and simmer for another 2 minutes. Reserve, chilled.
For the Currant Gelée
  1. Spray an 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with acetate paper. Soak the gelatin sheets in ice water for 10 minutes; squeeze dry. In a small saucepan, combine the currant juice and sugar, and simmer until dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the gelatin, and pour into the prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until set. Use a ¼-inch ring cutter to punch out at least 18 circles from the gelée. Keep chilled.
To Finish
  1. Pit the stone fruits and cut into wedges.
  2. For each serving, place a serving of ice wine sabayon on a plate and set a poached peach on the side. Scatter the fruit wedges, currants, and gooseberries around the sabayon and peach in a decorative fashion. Add a few dots of ice wine syrup and 3 discs of currant gelée. Garnish the poached peach with a sprig of bush basil.