Mascarpone and Vanilla Bean Semifreddo
Photography Aaron McLean.
Semifreddo, or ‘half frozen’ as the name translates, is a soft frozen dessert that does not freeze solid. This is due to the high proportion of egg yolks and cream, rather than milk, which contains water. Semifreddo do not require churning so are very easy to make successfully at home.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 vanilla pod
150 grams caster sugar, divided
200 grams mascarpone
200 grams crème fraîche
To garnish
¼ cup roughly chopped, chocolate coated nuts or coffee beans
METHOD
Separate the eggs and place the yolks and egg whites in separate bowls.
Halve the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Add to the yolks with 100 grams of the caster sugar. Beat until very thick and pale.
Beat the egg whites with the remaining 50 grams of caster sugar to stiff peaks.
Combine the mascarpone and crème fraîche in a large bowl. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the egg yolk mixture then fold in the egg whites. Pour the mixture into a freezer-proof container. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.
To serve: Using an ice-cream scoop dipped in warm water, roll balls of semifreddo and place in chilled serving glasses. Top with the roughly chopped chocolate nuts. Serve immediately.
To simplify serving, roll the semifreddo ahead of time and place on a tray in the freezer.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
Related Content
latest issue:
127
In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.