Cooking With Wine

Mascarpone Custards with Summer Berries

8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweet Marsala
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso, cooled
4 dozen 1 1/2-inch Italian amaretti cookies (see Note)
2 cups mascarpone, at room temperature (1 pound)
2 cups mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries


Directions:
1. In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Gradually whisk in the Marsala and whisk constantly until the mixture triples in volume, about 8 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and continue whisking for another minute. 2. Pour the espresso into a shallow bowl. Dip the amaretto cookies in the espresso one by one and use them to line the bottoms of eight 3 1/2-inch ramekins; use any broken cookies to fill the spaces. 3. In a medium bowl, beat the mascarpone with a rubber spatula until creamy. Add the Marsala custard and fold together until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Garnish with the berries and serve. Serve this light summer dessert with Moscato d'Asti, a refreshing, lightly sweet, slightly sparkling white with hints of pear.

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