a whisk and a spoon

Double Chocolate Brownie Semifreddo

After my first foray into the world of semifreddo, seems I can’t get enough.  I love that I can whip up a creamy frozen treat without having to wait for my ice cream machine’s canister to freeze. 

I would never have made this particular recipe if I actually had to bake a batch of brownies to do it, but just so happens I had some in the freezer.  (I wouldn’t admit to most people I know that I have a stash of assorted brownies in the freezer, but I bet all of you do, too, so it almost seems normal.)  Boy, is this ever rich…like frozen chocolate mousse.  A little goes a long way, though, so you don’t have to feel too guilty if you just have a couple small scoops.

Double Chocolate Brownie Semifreddo- makes 8-10 servings
from a recipe in Donna Hay Magazine (Issue 43)

Steph’s Note:  Half a recipe freezes nicely in a metal loaf pan.

3 eggs
2 yolks, extra
1 t vanilla extract
1 c (220 g) caster sugar
2 c (500 ml) whipping cream
250 g dark chocolate, melted
350 g chocolate brownies, chopped

-Pre-chill a 2-quart (or 2-litre) capacity metal tin in the freezer.

-Place eggs, extra yolks, vanilla and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and, either by hand or using a hand-held electric mixer, beat for 6-8 mins or until thick and pale.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Fold through the melted chocolate.

-Whisk the cream until medium-stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the cream through the egg mixture until well combined.  (Make sure that the egg mixture is approximately room temperature at this stage or it will melt the cream, also if the egg mixture is quite stiff after you’ve added the chocolate, you may need to “loosen” it first with about 1/4 of the whipped cream.)  Fold through the brownies.

-Pour into a 2-litre capacity metal tin.  Freeze for 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Strawberry Swirl Semifreddo

It’s hot, so hot, in New York…hot like The Lovin’ Spoonful’s song.  I’m not much for cranking the A/C (although I’m glad it’s an option in our building)…I’d rather chill out with a big glass of ice water or something cool and creamy.

I bought a quart of strawberries from the Greenmarket the other day, only to find the ones in the bottom half of the container were kind of smooshed.  I probably would’ve been annoyed, but I’ve had this Strawberry Swirl Semifreddo recipe mentally tagged ever since I saw it in Donna Hay a couple of months ago.  It calls for heaps of fresh strawberry purée…a good use for smooshy berries if you ask me.

I’ve never made a semifreddo at home before.  Turns out it’s the perfect way to get something like ice cream, but without an ice cream maker.  It’s less dense than regular ice cream…sort of like frozen mousse…and it has a really silky mouthfeel.  I made this yesterday morning, and it’s still perfectly scoopable this afternoon.  That scores big points in my book, as some homemade frozen desserts turn hard as a rock overnight.

There are different ways to  make semifreddo, but this one starts out with what’s almost a zabaglione that’s then folded into whipped cream and swirled with strawberry purée.  The amount of purée called for in the recipe was quite a bit more than I thought could incorporate and still get nice curlicues of pink and white.  I just served the rest as sauce on the side.

Strawberry Swirl Semifreddo- makes 6-8 servings
from a recipe in Donna Hay Magazine (Issue 49)

Steph’s Note:  If you find that you have more puree than you can incorporate into the base and still get a nice swirl, serve the extra along side scoops of the semifreddo.  Half a recipe freezes nicely in a metal loaf pan.

For the base
3 eggs
2 yolks, extra
1 t vanilla extract or seeds of 1/2 a vanilla bean
1 c caster sugar
2 c whipping cream

For the strawberry purée
750g strawberries, hulled
2 T powdered sugar

-Pre-chill a 2-quart (or 2-litre) capacity metal tin in the freezer.

-To make the puree, process the strawberries and sugar in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

-Place eggs, extra yolks, vanilla (extract or seeds) and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and, either by hand or using a hand-held electric mixer, beat for 6-8 mins or until thick and pale.  Remove from heat and beat for a further 6-8 mins or until cool (you can transfer to a standing mixer instead and whip for about 4 minutes).

-Whisk the cream until medium-stiff peaks form.  Gently fold cream through the egg mixture until well combined. Pour into a 2-litre capacity metal tin.

-Spoon over the strawberry purée and use a spatula to gently fold it through the cream mixture for a swirled effect.  Freeze for 6 hours or overnight before serving.