Great Chef Luciano Bossegia

Lemon Zabaglione with Mixed Citrus Fruit
Luciano Bossegia
Cardinale
Sao Paulo, Brazil

This dessert is filled with bright citrus taste. Orange and grapefruit segments are caramelized, then piled into dessert bowls and covered with lemon zabaglione. Citrus zest and sugar is sprinkled over the tops and browned with a small kitchen torch. You may brown them under a hot broiler if you wish, but the process happens very fast and is much more controllable with a small torch.

Makes 4

Caramelized Lemon Zest
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar

Lemon Cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup lemoncello liqueur

Zabaglione
9 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemoncello liqueur

Caramelized Citrus Fruit
1 red grapefruit
1 yellow grapefruit
1 orange
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar

1 lime, sliced in thin wedges

To prepare the caramelized zest: Put the lemon zest and sugar in a small non-stick saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat and let the sugar melt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sugar turns a golden color. Remove and strain, reserving the zest. Set aside.

To prepare the lemon cream: In the bowl of a mixer, cream the eggs and sugar until light in color. Bring the lemon juice to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as the juice boils, reduce the heat to medium. Rapidly stir a small amount of the hot juice into the egg mixture, then slowly add egg mixture hot juice, stirring as you add. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and zest. Return the pan to the heat and cook 2 minutes, stirring gently. Remove from heat, stir in the lemoncello liqueur, and set aside; keep warm.

To make the zabaglione: Mix the eggs and sugar in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Whisking or beating constantly, cook the mixture until it thickens. Remove from heat and continue beating until it has cooled. Fold in the lemoncello and lemon cream.

To prepare the fruit: Pare the citrus fruits and cut out the segments. Peel off any remaining segment membrane. Put the segments, butter, and sugar in a non-stick saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Squeeze the juice from the rinds of the citrus into the pan. Cook, stirring gently to coat, until the syrup is reduced to a thick glaze. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place the caramelized citrus fruit in dessert dishes or cups. Pour the zabaglione cream over the fruit, letting some of the fruit peep through. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To serve: Sprinkle the tops of the desserts with caramelized zest and a little sugar. Using a small kitchen torch, brown the tops before serving. Place each dish on a serving plate. Garnish the plate with fanned lime wedges.