Today, the majority of recipes I see for semifreddo are made by combining equal parts ice cream (or gelato, if they are Italian) with whipped cream. However, a traditionalist would cringe at these modern versions. A good semifreddo has a very specific texture, a perfect balance between hard and creamy, lighter and softer than ice cream. Traditional recipes use one part whipped cream combined with one part custard, combined with the flavor component. For semifreddo all’italiana, this custard is an Italian meringue, egg whites whipped with a warm sugar syrup, producing a smooth and shiny meringue. To quote the Gruppo Virtuale Cuochi Italiani – a network of Italian chefs and other culinary professionals, a true semifreddo is a challenge even for the professional chef and/or pastry chef, let alone the home cook. Master pastry chefs, manuals and books recommend a scientific approach to the making of semifreddo. To achieve a correct balance of the ingredients the proportions should be as follow: Sugar 20-27%; fat 15-24%; solids 5-10% (the total of solids should be 42-55%); proteins 5-7%.
My cooking is all about maximizing the flavors with a minimum of fuss. I don’t end up with the perfectly textured semifreddo, but I do end up with a delicious dessert without spending all day in the kitchen. Here, I use the classic ingredients – whipped cream, meringue, and a flavor component, chocolate. But I just used a basic, simple meringue – no simple syrup, thermometer and determining ‘soft ball stage’, just egg whites mixed with granulated sugar. In the recipe below, I also simply mixed the three main ingredients together – the meringue into the whipped cream, then the melted chocolate. The chocolate begins to harden a bit, and you end up with some smaller hard bits of chocolate in your semifreddo. I actually prefer this texture, but I’ve also include instructions below to make a smooth chocolate version.
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Semifreddo di Cioccolato
- Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Semifreddo translates to ‘half cold’, and refers to an entire class of semi-frozen desserts, with flavors ranging from chocolate to coffee to hazelnut to an endless array of fruit based versions.
Ingredients
- 10 oz (285 g) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cool
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 7 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Sauce
- 2 cups (480 ml) frozen strawberries
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) good balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap.
- In a large bowl, whip cream to medium peaks, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg whites, sugar and sea salt to stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg mixture into the whipped cream.
- For the more elegant, smooth texture version, take about 1 cup of the egg/whipped cream mixture and mix it into the melted chocolate. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg/cream mixture. For a more rustic texture with small bits of chocolate, fold all of the chocolate mixture into the egg/cream all at once.
- Place mixture in lined loaf pan; chill in freezer for at least 5 hours, or up to 1 day.
- To unmold, place your serving plate over the top and flip. Pull down on plastic wrap to unmold. Serve with strawberry sauce, mixed berries, and/or chocolate sauce. A few sprinkles of sea salt are nice too!
- For strawberry sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the balsamic. Transfer to a blender.
- Purée until smooth, strain, and set aside. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 310
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a semifreddo, and how is it different from ice cream?
The article explains: semifreddo means “half cold” in Italian and has a specific texture — lighter and softer than ice cream, a perfect balance between hard and creamy. Traditional recipes use one part whipped cream plus one part Italian meringue (egg whites whipped with a warm sugar syrup). This recipe simplifies to a basic meringue (no sugar syrup) folded into whipped cream with 10 oz of melted bittersweet chocolate, skipping the thermometer work.
How do I choose between the smooth chocolate texture and the rustic chip version?
Step 3 describes both: for a smooth result, mix about 1 cup of the egg/cream mixture into the melted chocolate first, then fold that back into the rest — this tempers the chocolate so it stays creamy. For small hard chocolate bits (the author’s preference), fold all the melted chocolate into the egg/cream at once; it cools quickly and breaks into pieces.
How long does the semifreddo need to freeze, and how do I unmold it?
Step 4 says to freeze for at least 5 hours, or up to 1 day. To unmold, place your serving plate over the top of the loaf pan and flip, then pull down on the plastic wrap lining to release the block cleanly onto the plate.
How long does the strawberry balsamic sauce keep?
Step 7 says to store the puréed and strained sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, so you can make it several days ahead of serving.
