THis is a delicious dessert, one of the quickest to prepare and one of the easiest to spoil. Below are the ingrédients for two servings. They can be doubled, trebled, or quadrupled although, in these larger quantifies, it is well to reduce slightly the amount of liquid.




11/2 tablespoons (41/2 teaspoons) port or Madeira
11/2 tablespoons (41/2 teaspoons) dry white wine
2 egg yolks
5 teaspoons fine granulated sugar



PUT ALL the ingrédients in a small, very heavy saucepan with high sides. (Or, you may use a double boiler, though this lengthens the cooking time; have rapidly boiling water in the bottom pan. )

Before putting the pan over heat, beat the mixture well with a sauce whisk. The classical method for whipping is to form the number 8 in the pan with the whisk, hitting the four sides of the pan as you beat. The noise this makes should be like the sound of an old-fashioned train leaving the station, starting start slowly and work up to a fast pace bit by bit.

When the mixture is frothy, place the pan over moderately high heat, and continue to beat it without stopping. Watch very carefully : If the zabaglione is successful, it will swell and thicken, fine bubbles will form on the top and a light curl of thicken will float up from it. Remove immediately from the heat.