Zabaglione with Fresh Figs

I've lived within spitting distance of Sydney's Italian quarter for twenty years but, not having a sweet tooth, have never tried zabaglione. That was before I discovered how much alcohol is in it. Some recipes call for all white wine or champagne, but with figs, especially, the sweet fruitiness of marsala marries beautifully with the fruit. As Boronia marsala is hard to come by, I used an Australian substitute - Angrove Bookmark crema all 'ouvo. I tried the zabaglione with grilled figs as well, but the fresh ones were better.

This recipe is somewhat more recent than the others: it's based on one from the Australian Women's Weekly Italian Cooking Class Cookbook and before you scoff, I've known Chinese people who use the Women's Weekly Chinese Cooking Class Cookbook. The earliest Australian recipe I found for zabaglione was in Broken Hill's Barrier Miner in 1934, but it used fruit juice rather than marsala.

Zabaglione

5 egg yolks
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup marsala
1/4 cup white wine
2-3 figs per person

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the top half of a double boiler, off the heat, until the sugar is incorporated into the yolks. Place double boiler on top of pan of boiling water and gradually whisk in the marsala and wine. Continue to cook, whisking, for about ten minutes until all the marsala and wine has been added and the mixture is thick and creamy. If it sticks, remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon. Serve with fresh figs. Serves 2 to 4.