Zabaglione

1 . Stage

Put the custard ingredients into a bowl: Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large, round-bottomed stainless steel or Pyrex bowl. Add the grated lemon zest, a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract to the yolk mixture. Pour in the Marsala.

2 . Stage

Prepare a double boiler: Fill a pot halfway with water, and bring the water to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain the simmer. Set the bowl containing the custard mixture over the water. Note: the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.

3 . Stage

Whisk the custard mixture until it thickens: Whisk the custard mixture, making sure that the water in the pot below is just gently boiling and not touching the bowl. This ensures a gentle, even heat thickens the mixture without curdling it. Whisking traps air in the yolks for a light, fluffy mixture. Continue whisking for several minutes, until the mixture triples in volume, froths up, and becomes pale.

4 . Stage

Remove the bowl from the pot: When the custard reaches the desired consistency, take the container of custard out of the pot. Slightly thickened, the custard can be used as a sauce. Longer cooking will thicken the custard further, giving it the texture of mousse. Continue whisking for a minute or two to prevent the custard from sticking to its container.

5 . Stage

Serve warm or cooled: Serve the custard while still warm, or, if you want to serve it cool, set it aside for about 15 minutes. Add the whipped cream to the cooled custard and use a whisk to gently fold them together. Reserve some of the whipped cream to serve on top. Ladle the zabaglione into individual dishes. Serve with whipped cream, berries, and/or cookies, such as biscotti .