S
emifreddo [semiˈfreddo] is a famous Italian frozen dessert. Semifreddo is Italian word for “semi-cold” or “half-cold”. Despite its name, which suggests otherwise, semifreddo is actually fully frozen dessert made of a flavoring, for example chocolate, hazelnut, nougat, fruit, or a custard, some Italian meringue and lightly whipped cream.
The combination of Italian meringue and whipped cream makes this sweet to be incredibly light and airy, and even though it is frozen, semifreddo in fact has very soft texture and doesn’t have that cold “brain freeze” feel, like – for example – ice cream does. The reason is simple – semifreddo contains less water than the ice cream! The absence of water is responsible for one more good thing – semifreddo doesn’t have to be churned! Yes, no ice cream machine needed today guys! So, who invented this incredible dessert? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I couldn’t find the name of the inventor, however – I’ve discovered that semifreddo appeared around the end of the 19th century, probably as an evolution of the French parfait, which is another wonderful frozen dessert that dates back to 1869, when its first recipe was published by the name “Parfait au café”. The semifreddo I’m making today is like – crazy simple! You don’t have to make custard, don’t need any fancy molds, and almost no equipment except a stand mixer. Regarding ingredients – you will need some hazelnuts, candied fruits, some heavy cream and a couple of egg whites, that’s all! Easy-peasy!
Simple Semifreddo Recipe
by:Tereza Alabanda,The Pastry Maestra
PRINT PDF (EN) ISPIŠI PDF (HR)Prep. time : 20 minutes
Cook time : 5 minutes
Ready in 25 minutes plus cooling
Level : Advanced
Ingredients:- Whipping cream 250g (8.8oz)
- Egg Whites 100g (3.5oz)
- Sugar 150g (5.3oz)
- Chopped hazelnuts 50g (1.8oz)
- Candied cherries 50g (1.8oz)
- Raisins soaked in rum 30g (1oz)
- Fresh raspberries as needed
- Whip the cream to soft peaks.
- Make Italian meringue out of 100g (3.5oz) egg whites and 150g (5.3oz) sugar: cook sugar with some water to 118°C (245°F) and pour it over whipped egg whites. Continue to whisk until Italian meringue cools down.
- Toast and chop the nuts, cut candied fruits to small pieces, and soak raisins in rum.
- Incorporate all the nuts and fruits into the meringue.
- Fold in whipped cream into the mixture.
- Put the mixture into two 15cm x 8cm (6″ x 3″) mini loaf pans lined with plastic foil, and freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Cut semifreddo into pieces, and decorate it with some fresh raspberries.
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