Half Cold, Totally Delicious
Inspiration comes in all different shapes and sizes. And flavors. My inspiration to cook comes from a wide assortment of places. And I am constantly on the prowl...the Cooking Channel, food magazines, cookbooks, The New York Times' Wednesday Dining section, the Off Duty section of Saturday's Wall Street Journal, dining out as well as talking with friends about their culinary adventures.
This idea came from Giada. We were watching one of her shows on TV and she was making semifreddo. Surprisingly, David remarked that he would like me to make it. Semifreddo means "half cold" and is something I have always wanted to make, but David would always poo-poo the idea and suggest I make a more familiar dessert. But, if you are patient, things will eventually change. And it seemed as though my moment had arrived.
Generally, when we stir up an idea to make a new dish, I want to jump on it, test it out and see what happens. And so I wasted no time giving semifreddo a try for several reasons. One, because I am an ice cream freak. Two, because semifreddo is softer than ice cream and I especially like that. And three, you don't need an ice cream machine to make semifreddo. All you need is a metal loaf pan and a hand mixer. (I used my Kitchen-Aid, but definitely recommend a hand-mixer for this job.)
Yes, it does take three different bowls and/or three installments with the mixer--which may seem like a lot of work--but it's worth it. Look on the bright side, that's three spatulas you get to lick! The semifreddo batter is so good as it is, you may just want to eat it without freezing. I could hardly stop myself! But into the freezer it went for safe keeping.
This light and airy, yet incredibly flavorful semi-frozen dessert won my husband over in one bite, when he said, "Oh, my God!" Now he wishes he had listened to me long ago. But, what else is new?
Buen provecho!
Coffee Semifreddo
The Cowgirl Gourmet adapted this recipe from a British website, BBC Good Food
Print recipe
This easy and elegant dessert can be thrown together in less than 20 minutes using no major kitchen appliances other than a hand-held mixer. Not a coffee lover? Simply replace the coffee and liquor with orange zest and Grand Marnier. Add chopped biscotti cookies for texture and crunch in lieu of the chopped Toblerone.
Serves 6-8
1 Tablespoon instant espresso coffee
1 Tablespoon Kahlua, Tia Maria or other coffee liquor
4 large pastured eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 oz. Toblerone bar, chopped
Optional, dark chocolate curls or a dust of cocoa to decorate
Oil and line a metal loaf pan with plastic wrap. I used Pam to spray the pan before I layered the plastic wrap.
Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks, placing the whites in a bowl and the yolks in another bowl.
To the egg yolks, add the coffee granules, liquor of choice and sugar and stir to dissolve the coffee.
In a third bowl, pour the cream.
Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff.
Then beat the egg yolk mixer until thick and the beaters leave a trail.
Now beat the cream until it holds its shape. If you beat everything in this order, you won't have to wash the beaters in between.
Once everything is beaten, carefully fold in the egg yolk and coffee mixture into the cream, mixing well, and then fold in the egg whites.
Finally, fold in the Toblerone and pour into the prepared loaf pan.
To serve, unwrap the semifreddo and turn it onto a platter. Remove the plastic wrap and top with decoratives, such as chocolate curls or a dusting of cocoa, if desired. Slice, serve and enjoy.
Any leftover semifreddo should be wrapped in plastic and then in foil and kept in the freezer.
This idea came from Giada. We were watching one of her shows on TV and she was making semifreddo. Surprisingly, David remarked that he would like me to make it. Semifreddo means "half cold" and is something I have always wanted to make, but David would always poo-poo the idea and suggest I make a more familiar dessert. But, if you are patient, things will eventually change. And it seemed as though my moment had arrived.
Generally, when we stir up an idea to make a new dish, I want to jump on it, test it out and see what happens. And so I wasted no time giving semifreddo a try for several reasons. One, because I am an ice cream freak. Two, because semifreddo is softer than ice cream and I especially like that. And three, you don't need an ice cream machine to make semifreddo. All you need is a metal loaf pan and a hand mixer. (I used my Kitchen-Aid, but definitely recommend a hand-mixer for this job.)
Yes, it does take three different bowls and/or three installments with the mixer--which may seem like a lot of work--but it's worth it. Look on the bright side, that's three spatulas you get to lick! The semifreddo batter is so good as it is, you may just want to eat it without freezing. I could hardly stop myself! But into the freezer it went for safe keeping.
This light and airy, yet incredibly flavorful semi-frozen dessert won my husband over in one bite, when he said, "Oh, my God!" Now he wishes he had listened to me long ago. But, what else is new?
Buen provecho!
Coffee Semifreddo
The Cowgirl Gourmet adapted this recipe from a British website, BBC Good Food
Print recipe
This easy and elegant dessert can be thrown together in less than 20 minutes using no major kitchen appliances other than a hand-held mixer. Not a coffee lover? Simply replace the coffee and liquor with orange zest and Grand Marnier. Add chopped biscotti cookies for texture and crunch in lieu of the chopped Toblerone.
Serves 6-8
1 Tablespoon instant espresso coffee
1 Tablespoon Kahlua, Tia Maria or other coffee liquor
4 large pastured eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 oz. Toblerone bar, chopped
Optional, dark chocolate curls or a dust of cocoa to decorate
Oil and line a metal loaf pan with plastic wrap. I used Pam to spray the pan before I layered the plastic wrap.
Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks, placing the whites in a bowl and the yolks in another bowl.
To the egg yolks, add the coffee granules, liquor of choice and sugar and stir to dissolve the coffee.
In a third bowl, pour the cream.
Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff.
Now beat the cream until it holds its shape. If you beat everything in this order, you won't have to wash the beaters in between.
Once everything is beaten, carefully fold in the egg yolk and coffee mixture into the cream, mixing well, and then fold in the egg whites.
Finally, fold in the Toblerone and pour into the prepared loaf pan.
Cover the semifreddo with the over hang of the plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours.
To serve, unwrap the semifreddo and turn it onto a platter. Remove the plastic wrap and top with decoratives, such as chocolate curls or a dusting of cocoa, if desired. Slice, serve and enjoy.
Any leftover semifreddo should be wrapped in plastic and then in foil and kept in the freezer.
.JPG)
Comments