zabaglione – An Italian custard, that is made by whipping egg yolks, sugar, and sweet marsala wine in a zabaglione pan or over a double boiler until it’s thick and creamy. It is served as a dessert by itself or used as a dessert sauce with cake, ice cream, or fruit.
zabaglione pan – a deep copper pan with a rounded bottom, designed so zabaglione can be easily whisked over simmering water.
zaletti – An Italian cookie made with cornmeal and flavored with lemon zest, vanilla, and raisins soaked in rum.
zest – Zest from citrus fruit such as oranges and lemons is the coarse outer rind of the fruit. (Only the colored part of the rind, not the bitter inner white portion, contains the flavor.) With a sharp knife, potato peeler, zest tool, or zest grater, remove the outer rind from the fruit. If the pieces are too big, you can chop the zest with a knife or coarsely grind it in a blender or food processor before adding to the recipe.
zimtsterne – The German word for “cinnamon stars”, an almond Christmas cookie flavored with lemon juice or kirsch. Before baking the cutout stars are topped with a cinnamon-flavored meringue. After baking they can be left plain or decorated with colored sugar sprinkles. See recipe for Cinnamon Stars.
zitron – A Swiss pastry made with a sweet tart dough filled with lemon curd and topped with a thin layer of yellow fondant. The top is normally decorated with a chocolate Z drawn on top.
zuccotto – An Italian dessert in the shape of a dome, thought to resemble an Italian cathedral. Ladyfinger cookies that have been soaked in liqueur line a dome-shaped mold, and then the middle is filled with a mixture of whipped cream, sugar, chocolate, and toasted hazelnuts. The dessert is chilled for several hours, then unmolded and dusted with a mixture of confectioners’ sugar and cocoa.
zugor kirschtorte – A Swiss torte made layered with almond or hazelnut meringue kirsch soaked Genoise, and kirsch flavored Buttercream. The layers are then covered with more Buttercream then coated with ground toasted hazelnuts. The top of the torte is dusted with a heavy coating of confectioners’ suger then scored in a diamond pattern.
zuppa inglese – An Italian dessert meaning “English soup.” Zuppa inglese is a chilled dessert, similar to an English triffle. The dessert is made by layering kirsch soaked sponge cake with pastry cream, whipped cream, toasted almonds and candied fruit. Some versions include a meringue topping browned in the over before serving. |
