The video walks through a lovely refreshing dessert on the Orient Express called fresh fruits gratin with sambucca sabayon. Fruit gratins are now as common in France as their vegetable-based ancestors. Typically fresh fruit is layered into individual dishes or arranged on plates covered with a foamy sabayon, and browned under the grill. A perfect gratin demands careful attention; the sabayon cannot be made in advance and the gratin must be watched to make sure it doesn't burn under the grill.

Quicker than a crisp and dressier than shortcake, a gratin is a layer of fresh fruit piled into a shallow baking dish, dressed up with bread crumbs, and run under a broiler. The topping browns and the fruit is warmed just enough to release a bit of juice. We wanted to find the quickest, easiest route to this pleasing dessert. Though a mixture of berries offers a wonderful combination of color, flavor, and texture, it’s also fine to use just one or two types of berries. One-half pint of fresh berries equals about one cup of fruit. Later in the season, ripe, peeled peach or nectarine slices can be used in combination with blueberries or raspberries. We recommend using only fresh fruit, but if you must use frozen, raspberries are the best option. Do not thaw them before baking. Avoid using a metal pie pan that may react with the acidity of the fruit and impart an “off” metallic flavor. Serve the fruit gratin with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.