Splash Marsala In The Glass, Not Just In The Zabaglione

There is an old chef's adage that says you ought to cook with the wine you would drink with the dish. The idea is to illustrate the importance of cooking with a good wine whose flavors become concentrated during cooking. 

In reality, however, few of us would flavor a reduction sauce with a few splashes of an aged Château Ausone we're planning to pair with some rare lamb. There are limits to politically correct cooking.

But what about the opposite? Are some wines that are traditionally used in the kitchen good enough to put in our glasses? Of course, there are also tales about really desperate housewives who regularly stone out on the cooking sherry, but that may be the exception.

One such "cooking wine" is the marsala that chefs this time of year are using to flavor desserts such as zabaglione and tiramisu. Marsala comes from western Sicily and is in the same broad general category of fortified wines as port, sherry, and madeira.

Today, marsala exists in many different grades and forms, even though its popularity is declining.  And in the 200-plus years since its invention, some Sicilians have been known to sip it like a digestif, but, otherwise, marsala's place has been mainly restricted to the American kitchen. Is that just custom, or is there a reason?

One of the more popular brands is Florio, which widely sells dry and sweet varieties. Glass in hand, I cracked a bottle of each recently to see whether they had good non-cooking potential.

And both were surprisingly enjoyable, although the Riedels probably don't need to rush off and design a special glass just for them. The Florio dry is very much like a light fino sherry with flavors of preserved fruits and toasted walnuts and could very well be served chilled paired with toasted nuts.  The Florio sweet was only moderately so — very pleasant with rich fruit cake flavors.  True, both could use a little more structure, but they are both clean and don't cling to the palate.

The Florio sweet would also be great served with, well, a zabaglione. (I have not yet learned to tolerate tiramisu). And that dessert is almost as easy to make as it is to pour a glass of marsala.  Simply heat water in a double boiler, add four egg yolks and a quarter-cup of sugar (I prefer brown), and whisk vigorously over low heat until the color begins to lighten. Then slowly stream in half a cup of marsala as you whisk until the mixture becomes frothy but not over-cooked. Serve immediately over fresh berries in a stemmed glass.

With a glass of Florio sweet on the side, of course.