No. 381

Sabayon of Chicken or Game

Sabayon de Volaille ou de Gibier

Put eight egg-yolks into a high and narrow bain-marie; dilute them with one pint of chicken or game broth, and place the bain-marie saucepan on a slow fire or in boiling water, then stir well with a whip or wooden beater until the sabayon becomes thick and frothy; as soon as it is done serve it very hot in cups. A little sherry added to the broth is considered an improvement by some.

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For the Modern Kitchen

A savory zabaglione: eight yolks whisked into broth over gentle heat until it mounts into a hot froth. The whole thing turns on temperature control, and it must go to the table the moment it is done.

The hinge: keep it under 180FYolks begin to set around 150F and scramble by about 185F. Hold the mixture between 160F and 175F, whisking without pause, and pull it off the heat as soon as it thickens and holds a ribbon. An instant-read thermometer is more reliable than the visual cue.
Bain-marieA "high and narrow bain-marie" here means a tall, deep pot; the recipe allows it to be set either directly on a slow fire or in boiling water, not a shallow water bath in the oven. The depth matters because it lets the whisk build volume without slopping. A stainless bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water does the same job.
ProportionsEight yolks to one pint (2 cups) of broth is a rich ratio; it will thicken quickly. Warm the broth first and add it to the yolks gradually, or the cold liquid will chill the yolks unevenly and you will chase lumps.
Broth quality is the dishThere is nothing else in it. Use a well-reduced, well-seasoned homemade stock or a good gelatinous chicken broth; commercial cartons are too thin and too salty to carry the yolks. Game broth was made from the trimmings and carcasses of hare, partridge or venison.
Serve immediatelyLike a sweet zabaglione, this collapses within minutes and cannot be reheated without curdling. Have the cups warmed and standing by. Yield is roughly four to six small invalid cups, or three ordinary ones.
The sherryThe recipe puts the sherry into the broth rather than in at the end, and specifies only "a little"; a small quantity of dry sherry, stirred into the broth before it meets the yolks, follows the text.
Egg safetyThe mixture is cooked, but only just, and it was written for the sick. If serving anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised, use pasteurized eggs or pasteurized yolks and still take it to 160F.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's record of thirty years running the kitchen at Delmonico's in New York, and its long section of invalid broths reflects a period when nourishing the sick was a recognized branch of cookery, handled by the same hands that produced banquet menus. Sabayon is the French form of the Italian zabaglione, traditionally yolks beaten with sweet wine over heat as a restorative; the savory version simply swaps broth for the Marsala and keeps the logic intact. Egg yolks were regarded as concentrated, easily assimilated nourishment for patients who could not manage solid food, and whipping them into a warm foam made a pint of broth feel like a meal. Serving it in cups rather than a plate is part of the same thinking: it could be drunk by someone sitting up in bed.