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Semifreddo is a dessert made from whipped cream and ice cream or frozen custard. It can be made at home without an ice cream maker and is served with fruit sauces or biscuits. It is similar to mousse and can be flavored with almond extract or vanilla.
Semifreddo is Italian for half cold, and the name refers to desserts made from whipped cream mixed in equal amounts with ice cream or frozen custard. In Italy, gelato, a frozen dessert very similar to ice cream, but lower in fat content, is the dairy ingredient in the parfait. Desserts can be made at home without using an ice cream maker by chilling homemade custard in the freezer or using commercially prepared ice cream.
When whipped cream is added to frozen dessert, air is also incorporated, which prevents the parfait from freezing again. The same effect has traditionally been achieved by mixing a meringue made from egg whites, but it’s generally not recommended to eat raw eggs now. The taste and texture of the parfait has been compared to mousse and melts in your mouth faster than ice cream.
Most dessert makers who create parfait with homemade frozen custard start by creating a custard base called creme anglaise in French and zabaglione in Italian. It is a heated mixture of milk, egg yolks and sugar to which flavors such as almond extract or vanilla can be added. The dessert base is then cooled in an ice bath and mixed with the whipped cream. The dessert is then placed in the freezer until it is cold, firm, and ready to serve.
The semifreddo can be served in any mold for a decorative dessert or in individual portions such as custards. Another way to serve it is to line a pan with wax paper and freeze the parfait until firm. Then, people would lift the dessert out of the pan, peel off the paper, and cut it crosswise. This can make for a nice presentation if there are different flavors added in layers or pieces of fruit or nuts incorporated into the mix.
The semifreddo can be served with fresh fruit sauces or desserts such as caramel or hazelnut syrup. It is also traditionally served with small almond biscuits called amaretti or biscuits topped with pine nuts called pignoli. In Spain, where the dessert is known as semifrio, it is served with turon, a type of nougat, incorporated into the mix before freezing or served on the side. Marscapone, a rich, sweet cheese, is also a common ingredient used to make the dessert texture thicker than the Italian version. Dulce de leche, a Spanish caramel sauce, is also a traditional semi-frio.
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