Friday, April 3, 2009

Lemon Sabayon with Grapefruit


For me, the call of spring usually begins with the bright spunk of lemon. The comfort of its color, the splash of its tartness and the delicious way it has of reminding us of the purity of nature always sets the stage beautifully for the coming season. As we await the arrival of the new bounty of exquisite fruit in all its amazing flavor and color, it’s always a sure bet to pave the way with a lemon dessert.

This is an easy sabayon that tastes like an airy cloud of lemon curd. It pairs beautifully with fresh ruby red grapefruit. Each element has tart-sweet highlights and together they provide a supremely light and delicate end to any meal. Fun, fast and fresh.


Bench notes:
- This sabayon is really delicious and would pair well with many other fruits, especially raspberries and strawberries.
- Sabayon can also be served cold. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and chill.


Lemon Sabayon with Grapefruit
adapted from Gourmet, November 2008
Serves 4

3 ruby red grapefruits
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C fresh lemon juice
2 T cold butter, cut in small pieces

Cut peel and white pith from the grapefruits with a sharp knife. Cut segments free from membranes and divide the fruit among 4 bowls.

Whisk together eggs, yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a bain marie and whisk until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add a third of the lemon juice and whisk about 1 minute. Add half of the remaining lemon juice and whisk another minute. Add the remaining lemon juice and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, about 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from heat and add the butter, whisking slowly until incorporated. Cool slightly. Spoon warm sabayon over grapefruit segments.

10 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Definitely a "reminiscent of spring" treat - so wonderful!!

Bunny said...

I' ve never heard of this before! I love lemon though and would love to try it!

Natalie said...

That looks beautiful

Zita said...

Ooh...I can almost feel the sabayon glazing trough my mouth :)

Meghan at Making Love In the Kitchen said...

This is the prettiest dessert ever. If it tastes have as beautiful as it looks....

Cyn said...

Mmmmm, I love lemon. It sounds almost like a sweet variation on a Hollandaise (which I happen to love love love).

(By the way, I made your cream scones the other day and it's the best - and easiest - scone recipe I've tried so far.)

Love your blog.

Cannelle Et Vanille said...

i love the combination of sweet and sour here. wonderful simplicity!

Lady Plate said...

I love what you've been doing with citrus in your last couple of posts. These recipes are so inspiring...and seductive! I've been looking for some grapefruit dessert ideas lately, and I think this one will definitely have to be experimented with this weekend. Thanks!

anna said...

Gorgeous colors! I'm excited for spring but I'll miss the citrus.

Rumela said...

Oh my goodness!!! Lemon Sabayon with Grapefruit!!! Such a wonderful combination!! Really, I've to admit that I'm hearing it for the first time. I'm very excited and ready to know how it’s gonna test? The picture looks so attractive that I got stuck in this page when I was browsing net. The color combination is interesting!!! I've an experimental test bud and planning to give a try to your exciting custard. thank you for shearing your post.