Thoughts:
I had my doubts about this one, but once again, our culinary ancestors were onto something. There are countless recipes for syllabubs throughout historical cookbooks, at least back into the 16th century. They also seem to come in two basic versions- in the first, a cow was milked directly into a jug of cider or wine, and the mixture was whipped together. The layers would gradually separate as the cream rose to the top. I’m not nearly enough of a science type to be able to explain what that effect was, but it involved various acidic reactions. In the other version, the cream was whipped separately, then placed on top of the drink.
Bizarrely enough, I don’t have a cow handy, so I opted for the second version. I gingerly place a dollop of slightly sweetened cream over a lightly sweetened and spiced white wine. With a wince of trepidation, I spooned up a bit of the oddball delicacy.
And was delightfully surprised. The combined spoonful of wine and cream produces a sort of sherbet-effect, both sweet and silky. Because the white wine is really quite sweet, it’s great as a dessert in small quantities. The flavors all compliment one another, spice and herb and citrus nicely balanced. All in all, a unique and interesting historical recipe!
Syllabub Recipe
Ingredients for Wine:
- 3 quarts white wine, such as pinot grigio or a light chard
- 1 lb. sugar
- 1-2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 peppercorns, cracked
- 2-3 lemon slices
- 2-3 sprigs fresh marjoram or rosemary
- 1 pint of Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup fine sugar
- dash of vanilla
Congrats! Every time I’ve made a syllabub it’s come out nasty- too spiced, or too sweet (plus I tend to use a dessert red wine instead of white). I gave up! Your recipe sounds much lighter and nicer than my previous forays into syllabub.
I make this pretty regularly, and have had it served at period restaurants. Your recipe is nothing like the ones I’ve had or made before – I’m sure it’s still good, but I feel like you’re missing out on how awesome it really is!
I mix wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar, then fold whipped cream in and then let it sit over night. This gives the same separation as your first recipe. This is how it’s served at Williamsburg. It’s more sour than sweet and a very refreshing palette cleanser.
Very cool- I’ll have to try this version as well!
This may be cheating, but…I started using a home whipped cream nitrous oxide canister to make the Dishful of Snowe. It works splendidly. I can get it out fresh-made from the fridge to the table in under 2 minutes, instead of 15 or 20 using a mixer. Not as cool to watch, but so much easier. And it’s also something I can do in my field kitchen at an SCA event – where there’s no way to plug in a mixer.
It worked for this recipe, too.