Zabaglione Cream Liqueur

• • • Makes 3 cups • • •

My Italian aunts had a small but well-chosen stash of liquor in their apartment in Rome. Amid the Cognac, whiskey, and various amari there was always the distinctive white bottle of Vov, a sweet liqueur made with egg yolks and Marsala wine. The creamy liqueur (sort of an Italian version of eggnog) has a charming backstory, one of typical Italian resourcefulness. In 1845, Gian Battista Pezziol, a pastry chef in Padua, faced a daily dilemma: how to use up hundreds of egg yolks left over from making torrone, Italy’s famous nut-studded nougat (page 286). He hit on a liqueur based on zabaglione, a spoon dessert made from yolks, sugar, and Marsala. He named it Vovi—Venetian dialect for “eggs.”

1 cup (240 g) whole milk

1 cup (240 g) heavy cream

2 cups (400 g) sugar

½ vanilla bean

4 large egg yolks

½ cup (118 g) dry Marsala wine

½ cup (118 g) 151-proof grain alcohol, such as Everclear, or 100-proof vodka

¼ cup (59 g) Cognac

Equipment

Narrow funnel

1 clean 750 ml bottle with a swing-top lid with rubber gasket

1 • Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and stir in 1 cup of the sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a bare simmer over medium heat, without letting it boil. Stir to make sure the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat.

2 • Whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1 cup sugar until thick and light in color. Add a few driblets of the scalded milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking vigorously to prevent the yolks from curdling. Continue to whisk in the milk mixture, a little at a time, until you have added it all. Gently whisk in the Marsala, alcohol, and Cognac.

3 • Pour the liqueur through a funnel into the bottle. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. The liqueur is ready to drink once it’s cold. It will keep for a month or longer in the refrigerator. Shake well before serving.