Stracciatella Semifreddo



And the angel choir sings: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....





Two words.

 

Semi.

 

Freddo.

 

Dinner parties at my house may never be the same.

 

The word "semifreddo" is Italian for "half-frozen." To make a semifreddo, start with a classic custard. Then fold in fresh whipped cream, pour the whole mixture into a loaf pan, and freeze.

 

The result is a rich, creamy dessert, more velvety than ice cream, that starts to melt into a great big pile of divine mouthfeel a as soon as you take it from the freezer.

 

 

 

If you've never made a custard before, it's not hard. Ish. Make sure your heat's on high enough, and make sure to whisk constantly. Whisking for fifteen minutes or more is tiring, but keep at it. Channel Tina Turner's backup dancers.

 

  

 

 

 

A word about the crust: this recipe calls for a cookie crust made from almond biscotti, but the only kind I could find, weirdly, was chocolate. I'd say the crust was fine, okay, nothing really wrong with it, but since the semifreddo does contain such a high volume of chocolate already (see next paragraph), I think I'd prefer a different flavor, maybe plain or almond biscotti, maybe graham cracker. Furthermore, I'm not sure that the butter-to-cookie-crumb ratio came out exactly right, as my cooked crust was still very greasy-looking. The chocolate coating on my biscotti may have had something to do with this, or my measurements may not have been accurate. Next time I make semifreddo I'll be extra careful to make sure that the crust mixture isn't too liquidy.

 



Be sure you have a really big, sharp knife for cutting slices, because that crust, it does not give in easily.

 

 Next, a word about nut butters: I've made this twice. The first time I used Nutella, and the second I used chocolate peanut butter. While both were good, I preferred the Nutella. Peanut butter, as much as I love it, is a bit too loud for this sophisticated, grown-up dessert. I couldn't quite bring myself to spring for expensive chocolate hazelnut butter, but I suspect that a really high-quality ingredient like that could take this semifreddo to ineffable heights of culinary glory. Let me note, too-- and I can hardly believe I'm saying this-- for me the highlight of this dessert is not the chocolate. Hey, the chocolate is great. But what really makes this dessert worth writing home about, and writing Congress about, and trumpeting through the streets with a megaphone and a sandwich board about, is the sweet delicious creaminess of the custard. The chocolate's just there to throw the custard into relief. Frankly, I think you could reduce the amount of hazelnut butter and not miss it.

 

 

Don't tell anyone I said that, okay? I mean, I have a reputation to uphold.

 

Recipe: Stracciatella Semifreddo

Adapted (barely) from Giada De Laurentis

 

 Ingredients

 

 Crust:

 

 Cooking spray

4 ounces biscotti

1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts (I subbed almonds)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

 

Filling:

 

 8 egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread at room temperature (You could go down to half a cup, I think)

  

Directions

 

For the crust: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5x3 nonstick loaf pan with cooking spray. using 2 pieces of parchment paper, line the pan, allowing the excess to hang over the ends and sides.

 

In a food processor, blend biscotti and nuts together until finely ground. Add the meted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened. Using a flexible spatula, press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepare pan. Bake or 8 to 10 minute until the edges of the crust are golden. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

 



Egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, salt.



  

For the filling: in a medium stainless steel or glass bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk until the egg mixture is pale, thick, and creamy, and an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F, about 10-15 minutes.

 

 

Whisk...

 Whisk...

Keep whisking...

You're done.



 

 Put the bowl into a large bowl of iced water to cool completely.

 

In another medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream until thick. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the cream holds stiff peaks. Mix 1/4 of the cream into the cooled custard. using a spatula, gently old the remaining cream into the custard. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate hazelnut spread over the custard mixture and gently fold until just incorporated but still chunky. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared crust. Fold the overhanging parchment paper over the custard and freeze for at least 8 hours or up to 3 days.