Today I traveled to the West to make Asparagus With Prosciutto and Lemon Sabayon from page 355.
This is a very unique appetizer that contains so much depth of flavor in a small dish. It’s almost the easiest dish I’ve done since I’ve started the Me n’ Martha project. I say almost because you do need to do a sabayon, which is a delicate custard that’s traditionally made with Marsala wine as a dessert topping, but for this dish is done as a savory lemon sabayon that’s folded with lightly whipped cream.
My first try at the sabayon was unsuccessful because the egg yolks curdled. When you’re whisking your egg yolks over simmering water they can go from near perfect to curdled within moments. That’s why you need to be very careful to watch the temperature, including taking the bowl off the heat periodically to keep the eggs from going to a scrambled, curdled state, while whisking the whole time. A chef I once worked under gave me some very good advice for these kinds of custards — be it a sabayon, a hollandaise or a bearnaise sauce — every minute or so, touch the bottom of your bowl (which should be stainless steel, unless you’re lucky enough to have a good copper bowl, then use that) if the bowl is very hot to the touch, take it off the heat; if the bowl is lukewarm to cool, place it back over the heat. The bowl should feel just hot to the touch, but not hot enough to make you go “Ouch!”– that’s the ideal temperature for creating your custard.
After my first sabayon curdled, I tried again, this time more carefully and it came out perfect! I really enjoyed this appetizer, the elements united in perfect harmony — from the lemony asparagus to the salty, delicate prosciutto and topped with the light, airy sabayon. This would be a wonderful appetizer to make for an upscale dinner party or even for just an intimate evening with friends.
