Plum–and–Honey Sabayon Gratins

• Recipe by Susan Spungen

This stunning plum-studded sabayon—an airy custard sweetened with clover honey and Moscato—is summer’s answer to crème brûlée. If you don’t have Moscato on hand, any honey-inflected dessert wine will do, such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise or a late-harvest Riesling.

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 6 tablespoons clover honey
3. 5 large plums (1 1/2 pounds), quartered and pitted
4. 3 large egg yolks
5. 1/3 cup Moscato d’Asti or other dessert wine

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. In a large skillet, melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of the honey over moderately high heat until foaming. Add the plums and cook, turning occasionally, until softened and the honey has thickened slightly, about 6 minutes. Scrape the plums and their juices onto a plate.
2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk the egg yolks, Moscato and the remaining 1/4 cup of honey until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk the sabayon until cooled slightly, about 1 minute.
3. Scrape the sabayon into four 8-ounce gratin dishes. Top with the plums and their juices. Transfer to a baking sheet. Broil 3 inches from the heat for about 1 minute, until the sabayon is golden, and serve.