I remember the first time I ever had Sabayon. It was at the Olive Garden when it first opened in my hometown of Orlando, Fla. I was in high school and I loved the rich creaminess of the sabayon paired with the tart-sweet strawberries it was spooned over. Although I had already discovered a love for cooking, the idea of creating a sabayon of my own seemed out of reach.

While the technique of beating egg yolks, sugar and liquid over simmering water sounds somewhat difficult considering that you don’t want the yolks to scramble, the process is actually quite simple. The secrets: take your time and keep beating.

My version of sabayon has a hint of orange and occasionally includes the addition of whipped cream folded in when the sabayon is cooled. The cream simply allows you to stretch the recipe a bit, but I leave it out when I want the pure and simple fresh flavor of the orange sabayon.

Fresh Berries with Simple Sabayon

For the Sabayon:

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks, optional

Place all ingredients except whipping cream in a double boiler over rapidly simmering water. Beat with an electric mixer for 5-7 minutes, until light and fluffy and almost double in volume. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool, fold in the whipped cream, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the Berries:

• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Stir berries and sugar together in a bowl. Cover and set aside until ready to serve. (Can be made 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated.)

Makes 6 servings.