Cooking-ez.com

1,552 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 78 videos

How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub)

How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub)
A sabayon is a delicious and delicate preparation based on egg yolks and sugar, with a liquid added (wine, alcohol, fruit juice, etc), which is then whipped in a bain-marie until it is both light and smooth.

Usually sabayon is sweet (syllabub), but you can make it savoury, in which case there is only egg yolk, salt, and the chosen liquid, which could be stock, reduced wine, roasting juices, etc...

This recipe is for a sweet sabayon, using just two egg yolks. You will need to adapt quantities according to your needs, or your recipe.
957 K 5× 3.6/5 (205 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
duree20 min. difficultéAverage prix0.90 € pour combien115 g ingredients4 Ingredients
Keywords:
Last modified on: November 12th 2017
For this recipe: Comment Send to a friend Ask me a question Follow Printable Diaporama
For 115 g, you will need:
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 8 min.
Cooking: 10 min.
All in all: 20 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - ⌛ 5 min.
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub) : Stage 1
Put in a container that can go over a bain-marie, 2 egg yolks and 30 g caster sugar.

Without delay, beat until mixture whitens.
Stage 2
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub) : Stage 2
This whitening of the mixture happens because by beating, you incorporate thousands of tiny air bubbles into it.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 3 min.
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub) : Stage 3
Add 6 tablespoons sweet white wine to mixture (or sweet wine, fruit juice, coffee, etc.) and 1 pinch flour, mix thoroughly.

Please note, this pinch of flour is vital to the success of the sabayon. While over the bain-marie, this will facilitate the blending of the mixture: an essential knack to make your sabayon work every time (or almost), so you do not finish up with an omelette...

This is the first "secret" of success.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 10 min.
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub) : Stage 4
Put mixture in the bain-marie, and begin beating.

The bain-marie is the second "secret" of success, you need the temperature of the mixture to rise gradually.

You need to beat constantly until obtaining the shiny and smooth mixture desired.
Stage 5
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub) : Stage 5
You can use an electric whisk, in which case do not beat too fast, but nothing is better than a simple hand whisk, you will keep operations under control.
Stage 6
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub) : Stage 6
After few minutes, the mixture will begin to foam and thicken.
Stage 7
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub) : Stage 7
Stop when you like, it is necessary to arrive at a good compromise: quite shiny and very smooth... It's an absolute delight!
Remarks
The two important points for making a good sabayon are: a pinch of flour (for easier blending) and a bain-marie (gradual rise in temperature).

Syllabub is often poured over a dessert, but you can also serve it plain in a small cup (warmed beforehand) instead of coffee or tea.

Syllabub is best served warm, on something which should be neither too hot ( not straight from the oven), nor too cold (not straight from the fridge).

This recipe is for a sweet syllabub but it can also be made savoury (see above). You will notice that in this case, because of the absence of sugar, the syllabub thickens much more quickly.
Keeping: 1 or 2 minutes, no longer.
Source: Home made, but I am deeply grateful to Hervé This for his explanations of how syllabub works and the essential role played by the pinch of flour.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe6 RDI=3 %40 RDI=4 %10 RDI=2 %310 RDI=20 %1,300 RDI: 20 %
Per 100 g4 RDI=2 %30 RDI=3 %7 RDI=1 %190 RDI=10 %810 RDI: 10 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: egg, Sulfites, Gluten
How much will it cost?
  • For 115 g : 0.90 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipe
Soft fruits in sabayon
Soft fruits in sabayon

This recipe is made by briefly cooking an assortment of soft fruits (raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, blueberries, currants...) with a little sugar to glaze them. They are served in a small dish, covered with a delicious sabayon which can be lightly "burned" on surface.
280 K3.9 50 min.
Strawberry brunoise in a dessert-wine sabayon
Strawberry brunoise in a dessert-wine sabayon

This is a very simple recipe, but the result is absolutely delicious (as long as it's strawberry season, of course): morsels of really ripe strawberries in a sabayon made with sweet white wine.
40 K 25 min.
Fresh fruit in sabayon
Fresh fruit in sabayon

Fresh grapefruit and / or pears, covered with a sabayon and a pinch of citrus crunch.
303 K4.7 55 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Caster sugar
Caster sugar

Like these other recipes: Apple paste, Flaked almond tart, Crunchy blackcurrant and mascarpone cream verrine, Caramel rice pudding, Doughnuts, ... See them all 370

Sweet white wine
Sweet white wine

Like these other recipes: Strawberry brunoise in a dessert-wine sabayon, ... See them all 1

Egg yolk
Egg yolk

Like these other recipes: You should not leave egg yolks in contact with sugar, Gnocchi alla romana, Langoustine sabayon tart, Quiche filling mixture, Smoked salmon sacristains, ... See them all 75

Flour
Flour

Like these other recipes: Almond macaroon cake, Grapefruit cake, Lemon and lime cakes, Lobster Thermidor, Antoinette's caramelized apple cake, ... See them all 211

Other recipes you may also like
Involtinis
Involtinis
Involtinis are small rolls of meat, usually veal, and cheese. Here is my version.
February 21th 2011411 K4.4 2 hours 55 min.
How to bake blind
How to bake blind
This method allows you to cook a tart case, and then fill with a preparation which may or may not need further cooking (fruit, chocolate, crème patissière , etc...).
May 6th 2017953 K5 1 hour 40 min.
Pear sorbet
Pear sorbet
For a great pear sorbet, choose your fruit carefully: they should be perfectly ripe and full of flavour. You will get good results with williams, but any other variety of your choice will work.
February 21th 2011348 K4 55 min.
Croute à thé
Croute à thé
Under this strange name (literally "crust for tea") there hides a delicious cake in crusty sweet pastry, filled with a smooth almond mixture and icing sugar on top. It's an excellent cake for tea time, but it goes very well with fruit salad for example.
May 5th 2021324 K 14.9 1 hour 15 min.
Cassoulet
Cassoulet
Cassoulet is typical, even emblematic, of southern French cuisine. It is a "slow food" casserole in which meat and vegetables, particualrly dried beans, are cooked together for a long time. Here is a simplified version of this famous dish.
September 17th 2021235 K4.1 16 hours 9 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-02-08)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
The 5 comments already posted on this recipe
  • No, it is not a whipped cream, at all, there is no cream in this recipe.
    Posted by jh december 1st 2015 at 12:04 n° 5
  • You do not use flour, it is a whipped cream ... Whipped by hand adding flour is a. Lazy and b. Gross in texture. you must whip eggs until 180°. And whip until room temperature using either an electric mixture or by hand.
    Posted by Anonymous november 30th 2015 at 05:25 n° 4
  • It's a good idea to use Sambuca, like all sweet liquor (like amaretto, ...) it will certainly make a very good result. If you try it, come back to tell us what you've got?
    Posted by jh may 16th 2011 at 07:15 n° 3
  • I thank you sharing for your secrets! Seattle restaurant, 13 Coins served this using Sambuca as the alcohol. Has anyone else a similar experience? I can't wait to experiment.. :)
    Posted by Biggie may 16th 2011 at 06:11 n° 2
  • Hi there, I have made this according to directions, and it worked like a charm! Thank you for rescuing me from zabajone disasters - merci beaucoup.
    Posted by Walter Apile march 25th 2009 at 16:53 n° 1

Follow this recipe (as 9 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page