Happy Valentine’s Day to All Food Lovers!

Today is the V-Day, so, happy Valentine’s Day from Italian Food Lovers and Academia Barilla!

Today’s aphrodisiac recipe from Academia Barilla’s Gastronomic Library is again one that got my attention from the Isabel Allende’s Aphrodite novel/cookbook: the classic Italian recipe for Zabaglione cream.

Allende lists the delicious zabaglione cream as one of Aphrodite’s top aphrodisiac desserts, and reports in her book the classic traditional recipe, so she truly deserves an honorable mention by Italian Food Lovers.

Since we are on Valentine’s Day, I thought you might want to enjoy a more indulgent version of this traditional Italian dessert cream, so I opted for a rich zabaglione cream with ground amaretti (almond) cookies and whipped cream…. hmmm, yummy!!! And very sensual to the palate, too, the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert!

I picked up the recipe from top Italian Chef Giuliano Bugialli’s “Parma” cookbook, with the best and more intriguing traditional recipes from the Parma region, heart of the italian Food Valley and home to Academia Barilla.

Ready to be messy in the kitchen? Here we go!

ZABAGLIONE CREAM WITH GROUND AMARETTI (ALMOND) COOKIES AND WHIPPED CREAM
A recipe by Giuliano Bugialli

INGREDIENTS

- 3 amaretti (traditional Italian almond cookies)
- 3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
- 8 extra-large egg yolks
- 10 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light rum

Plus

- 1 and an 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

For serving

- 8 amaretti (traditional Italian almond cookies)

PREPARATION - 1

Soak the amaretti in the Marsala wine for five minutes. Then prepare the zabaione with the 8 egg yolks, 10 tablespoons of granulated sugar and ½ cup light rum; also add the Marsala with the dissolved amaretti (see below for Chef’s notes). Transfer the cooked zabaione to a crockery or glass bowl and let rest, covered, in the refrigerator until cool, about one hour.

PREPARATION - 2

Chill a metal bowl and wire whisk for the cream. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream into the chilled bowl and whip until the cream is quite firm, adding 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar when the cream has thickened. Remove the zabaglione from the refrigerator, and gently fold it into the whipped cream. Serve in individual glass bowls with an amaretto cookie on the top of each one.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Thank you Giuliano Bugialli! By the way, the famous Italian Top Chef gives more detailed tips on how to prepare the zabaglione cream at the Academia Barilla online store, where his rich zabaglione recipe has been crowned recipe of the month for the month of February! So don’t forget to get Giuliano Bugialli’s chef tips on the preparation of this delicious dessert by visiting our online store.

Happy Gourmet Valentine’s!