Italia__-_November_2016

November 2016 ITALIA! 83

W

hoever said Italian

cooking was easy? As

with everything in life,

getting the best results

and perfecting your

skills takes time, patience, dedication and, of

course, a lot of love. Creating truly authentic

dishes also involves following the right

recipe, one that has stood the test of time in

Italy itself rather than being adapted as it

travelled around the world.

Italian chef Giancarlo Caldesi has

put together a new series dedicated to

uncovering the true recipes for some of

Italy’s classic dishes, teaching you how to

recreate them with foolproof step-by-step

guides and essential tips. This month,

Giancarlo turns his attention to zabaglione.

Widely renowned as one of simplest

Italian desserts to make, zabaglione is also

arguably one of the best loved. Basically a

light, airy custard, it can be served warm or

cold, and certain variations even omit the

sugar so that it can be trickled over the top

of savoury ingredients such as asparagus.

AN ACCIDENTAL CLASSIC

There is much discussion as to the origin

of this dish – many say it emerged during

the 17th century in Turin when a chef

accidentally poured some sweet wine into

a custard he was preparing, while others

argue it was developed in Florence during

the reign of the Medici family. A further

suggestion is that it comes from Sicily

and that the name derives from a Sicilian

word, zabbina, itself derived from Arabic.

Whatever its origin, it was almost certainly

the basis for the first ice cream, and you can

try making it yourself over the page...

Giancarlo Caldesi joins us for the fourth part of his new series on how to make classic Italian dishes the authentic way...

GIANCARLO’S

MASTERCLASS

Photography by Sally FitzGerald

MEET GIANCARLO

Giancarlo Caldesi is a chef, restaurateur and

true authority on all things related to Italian

food. Along with his wife, Katie, Giancarlo runs

Caffé Caldesi and the Cucina Caldesi cookery

school in London, and the Caldesi in Campagna

restaurant in Bray. They have also written

several cook books and starred in their own

TV series. http://www.caldesi.com

EAT ITALIA!

PA RT 4

ZABAGLIONE

Zabaglione, a simple yet

delicious dessert

IT144.MasterclassZabaglione.sg4.indd 83 28/09/2016 15:16pm