Semifreddo with hazelnut and chocolate crunch 🌰

Semifreddo is a fluffy, sliceable ice cream. It is a cross between a custard and an ice cream. It is one of the more luscious and decadent member of the frozen dessert family.

Semifreddo which means half cold, maintains a soft, velvety texture, even right out of the freezer. Since it contains so much sugar and air, it wont freeze into a hard, dense block, the way ice cream does.

A variation of this recipe, that I wrote was published in a leading national magazine. It’s so delicious, yet so easy, that it makes you wonder if you’ve read the recipe right.

Enjoy ❤

Ingredients :

Eggs – 4 yellows and whites separated

Sugar – 2/3rd of a cup

Salt – a pinch

Unsweetened whipped cream – 2 cups

Chocolate – 2 bars crushed

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Garnish before serving :

Toasted hazelnuts – 1/2 a cup

Chocolate sauce – 1/2 a cup to drizzle

Method :

Line a 9 by 5 inch metal loaf pan with cling film and double layer so that 3 inches hangs over the pan, place in a freezer.

Using a stand mixer fitted with whisk, beat whipping cream in a large bowl for a minute or until soft peaks form.

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt until they blend. Place the metal bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water to create a double boiler, while whisking for about four minutes with an electric hand mixer till it is pale and fluffy.

Take the mixture off the heat and continue whisking for 2 more minutes until it is cool. Add vanilla extract, and fold into the cold whipped cream.

In a separate bowl whisk egg white till it is stiff and fold gently in to the whipped cream mix.

Layer the semifreddo into the prepared pan while alternating with crushed chocolate and batter. Seal it with cling film and freeze overnight.

Un-mould your semifreddo onto a serving platter. Add more crushed hazel nuts, chocolate shavings and drizzle the warm bittersweet chocolate sauce before serving.

Warm bittersweet chocolate sauce

Ingredients:

Bittersweet chocolate – 1/2  a cup chopped

Heavy cream – less than 1/2 cup

Method :

Using a double boiler melt chocolate and heavy cream until combined. Spoon it over the semifreddo.

Add a pinch of love ❤ :

For best results, chill a bowl and the whisk attachment before whipping the cream. You can also substitute vanilla essence with Kahlua, Amarula or Baileys.

xoxo,

Sareeka❤