To prepare the starter, melt the yeast in the warmed-up milk and mix with the flour. Knead well until smooth and let it rest in a bowl covered with film for about 2 hours. It needs to double in size. The ideal temperature is between 25/30 degrees.
Now mix the starter with the cream, the flour and half of the eggs. When smooth and well combined add gradually in stages the soft butter and the sugar and when both are incorporated add the salt. The last stage is to add the remaining eggs while mixing, 1 at the time. When the first egg is incorporated, add the following one.
Knead well for about 30 minutes until the dough is very elastic but soft.
Grease well with butter the savarin tin or a deep cake tin (about 20 cm large and 10 cm high or 1.5 liter) and pour in the cake mixture until you have reached about half of the tin.
Let it proof for about 1.5 hour or until the Savarin has reached the top of the tin.
Bake at 170 with no fan for about 1 hour. When ready it should be golden/browned. A wooden toothpick is always a good option to check your cake.
Let the Savarin cool before removing it from the tin.
Whilst the Savarin cool, prepare the syrup. Boil the water with sugar, the cinnamon stick and the orange zest. Once the sugar has melted remove from the heat and add the liqueur and the Prosecco DOC while still warm.
Aside, bring a saucepan full of water to simmer. In a large bowl, whisk well the egg yolk and slowly add the sugar, the freshly squeezed orange juice and the Prosecco DOC. Place the bowl over the saucepan full of water, and cook bain-marie. Remember, when cooking with bain-marie method the water must never reach the boiling point as the heat would be too strong on the egg (creating scramble eggs).
Whisk the sabayon thoroughly while cooking until it creates a foam-like consistency. Continue to whisk the mixture, while the egg slowly cooks in bain-marie. In a few minutes, the consistency of the sabayon will become less airy and creamier. When thick enough to coat the back of the spoon remove from the heat and keep aside.
Once the Savarin is cold, remove it from the tin and soak it in the warm syrup for a few seconds. Repeat the operation more than once and use a ladle to reach every spot. This is to make sure that the savarin is well soaked in syrup all the way through.
Be careful when doing this. The syrup needs to be warm not boiling or it could break the cake and remember to do it in stages. The savarin needs to be soft, not soggy.
Let the excess drain over a rack.
Before serving, warm slightly a few spoons of jam and loosen it up with a splash syrup if too tick. Gently brush the Savarin with the jam.
Pour the warm Prosecco DOC sabayon over the Savarin, garnish with orange zest and slice. Garnish each plate with fresh mint and red currant. Enjoy with a cold glass of Prosecco DOC dry or extra dry.
Recipe by Danilo Cortellini
