Vanilla Semifreddo with Raspberry and/or Chocolate Sauce

Over the holidays, I prepared this tasty dessert four times. Very similar to ice cream and just as delicious, semifreddo, which means ‘partially frozen’ in Italian, is a bit softer than ice cream, easy to make and ready to eat within hours. All without using an ice cream maker. This dessert is based on a recipe my sister found on the Aloi Means Yummy blogsite (which came from Jaime Oliver’s, The Naked Chef, pp. 202-203). The sky is the limit, so add whatever you like e.g. nuts, chocolate, fruit. I really like the plain vanilla semifreddo with raspberry and/or chocolate sauce (recipe below). Thanks to a dear friend, included below is the semifreddo recipe translated in Italian (for my Bregaglia neighbors).

Vanilla Semifreddo

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Freezing time: 1 hour +

Utensils:

• 3 large mixing bowls
• electric beater
• wooden spoon
• rubber spatula
• a container suitable for freezing (I find a glass or ceramic 12″ x 8.5″ lasagna dish works best)
• plastic wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or, better yet, cut in half 1 vanilla bean and scrape the insides into the egg yolk and sugar mix)
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 fresh, free-range eggs (whites and yolks separated)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• pinch of salt

In first bowl, beat sugar and egg yolks until mixture is a light creamy yellow, then add vanilla and beat more.

In second bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form (be careful not to beat too long, otherwise you’ll end up with butter).

In third bowl, beat egg whites, add a pinch of salt, and then keep beating until firm, fluffy peaks form.

If you are adding any extras, be sure to mix them into the egg yolk/sugar/vanilla mixture now. Add two wooden spoonfuls of the whipped heavy cream into the egg yolk/sugar/vanilla mixture and stir well. Then, gently fold in the rest of the whipped heavy cream and the whipped egg white. Be careful not to overmix, since it should be as light and airy as possible, yet evenly folded together.

Pour mixture into the glass or ceramic dish and use a rubber spatula to get every last bit. Cover completely with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 1 hour (I usually put it in for 3 hours).

Raspberry Sauce

Utensils:

• saucepan
• wooden or metal spoon
• large metal sieve

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. bag of whole frozen raspberries
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon sugar or to taste

Bring raspberries, water and sugar to a simmer and stir for 10 minutes. Pass mixture through metal sieve into a large glass or ceramic bowl. Be sure to push the raspberries through the sieve as much as possible, so only the seeds remain. Pour sauce into small cream pitcher and serve on semifreddo.

Chocolate Sauce

Utensils:

• saucepan
• wooden or metal spoon

Ingredients:

• 1 bar (100.1g) dark chocolate (in the States, I use Dove Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate and in Switzerland, Swiss chocolate, of course)
• approximately 1/4 cup milk, depending on desired sauce thickness

On medium-low heat, melt chocolate and slowly add milk, stirring constantly until desired thickness is reached. Once completely melted, pour into small cream pitcher and serve over semifreddo.

Semifreddo

Tempo di preparazione: 10 minuti

Tempo di congelamento: un’ora +

Utensili:
•    3 scodelle per mescolare
•    mixer elettrico
•    contenitore adatto per congelare
•    folia trasparente

Ingredienti:
•    1 pacchetto di zucchero vanillinato
•    200 grammi zucchero
•     4 uova fresche (albumi in una scodella, tuorli in altra scodella)
•    250 ml panna intera
•    un pizzico sale

Altre possibilitá di aggiunta:
•    cioccolato
•    nocciole, noci, mandorle macinate
•    bacche

Frullare lo zucchero con zucchero vanillinato con i tuorli in una scodella grande fino ad ottenere una crema chiara.

Nella seconda scodella sbattere la panna.

Nella terza scodella sbattere gli albumi a neve con un pizzico di sale.

Incorporare nella scodella con lo zucchero e i tuorli eventuali aggiunte e poi aggiungere delicatamente e alternativamente gli albumi a neve e la panna montata.

Mettere il tutto in una vaschetta, coprire con una folia trasparente e mettere subito nel congelatore per almeno un’ora.

(ricetta di Jamie Oliver dal libro, The Naked Chef, pagine 202-203.)