Frozen Foray #1... Semifreddo

Yippee for summer... the days are hot, the nights are warm, and dessert should come straight from the freezer.

If it's just me, on my lonesome, needing a sweet fix after dinner, then a mini Magnum will do the trick. Or not.

Ok, sometimes one little chocolate-covered-ice-cream-on-a-stick, is NOT enough... and I might splurge on two (but they're only mini size, right, so it's not really bad. Well, not really, really bad.)

Anyway, sometimes when there is grown-up company sharing the table - and it's not just me sprawled in front of the TV - I want the same impact (cold, sweet, gooey) with a little more style.

Semifreddo. Gelato. Ice Cream. Granita. Sorbet. Take your pick!

And the best thing - besides the satisfaction of mouthfuls of creamy sweetness - is that desserts like these are soooo ideal for an Horizontal Hostess.

1. Make a day or more ahead.

2. Remove from freezer.

3. Serve.

4. Maybe dress up a little with a sauce or fruit or some-such.... which can also be made well ahead.

So, over the next week, I am trialling, testing, and tasting. Bringing you the full round-up of all things frozen. (Poor me)

Up first.... Nougat Semifreddo. Smooth, rich, sweet, and full of crunchy-chewy pieces of nougat (yes, it is possible to be crunchy and chewy). Serve with a raspberry coulis or some other berry add-on... the slight tartness of the berries ease the semifreddo away from being overly rich. In this recipe the semifreddo is set in a tin, cut into pieces and served on a plate. It's not really going to work in a cone.

And the first question of the day: What is a Semifreddo? And is that Fred-o, as in Freddo Frog? And why not just call it ice-cream?!

Semifreddo is Italian for half-frozen. It's said Semi-Fre-Dough (not a Fred-O anywhere).

And it's not called ice-ceam, because... well, because, it's not an ice-cream. Not really. Not if you are being technical about these things. It does have a lot in common with ice-cream (cream, egg yolks, sugar, freezer), but it's not churned in the way that ice-cream ought to be. And it typically has something "airy" included - think whipped cream or beaten egg whites. The incorporated air is meant to make it easy to scoop/eat when it's frozen.

This week's first Semifreddo... a nougat variety (recipe found in Delicious magazine)

Start with this huge assortment of ingredients:

3 eggs, seperated

3 tbsp honey

300g mascarpone

120g nougat

Chop up the nougat into small chunky pieces.... smaller than these pieces. Smaller than a mouthful.

I just wanted to show you the gorgeous chewy bits in this nougat.

I'm not really a big fan of nougat - in fact I'd never buy it. It took me ages to find it in the supermarket - but this just looked so good!

Then you are going to beat the eggs and honey together until pale.

The recipe said to use an electric mixer. I have a lovely mixer. A glorious Kenwood. Brand new (well, 40th birthday present... and that wasn't so long ago. Really!).

I also have "Tiffany". My trusty little hand-held beater. Picked up in a supermarket about, ummmm, 5 years ago, when I was waddling through my first pregnancy, the nesting instinct was taking over, and I had decided to start baking.

For some reason I still use little ol' Tiff. I blame it on my dislike of hand washing big things. It doesn't make sense really, since I still have to use a bowl when I use the hand-held (obviously). And when you use a mixer you can walk away and do other things... instead of being glued there, holding the damn thing. But logic plays no part in this.

Anyway, your choice... I wielded my hand-held.

Once honey and yolks are pale (really pale, but don't expect white), add the mascarpone and beat some more. Fold in the nougat.

In another bowl beat the egg whites until stiff.

Now, see, if you were using the mixer, you would have to remove the yolk/honey mixture to another bowl. Wash the mixer bowl, and then beat the whites. Or, you would have to get out the hand-held beater as well as the mixer to do the whites. Hmmm... of course you could be beating the egg whites with your hand-held while the mixer is working on the yolks and honey. But, hell, that would be noisy !!!

Whichever way you go, you will now fold the egg whites into the yolk/honey/mascarpone/nougat mixture.

Line a smallish tin with plastic wrap, and pour in the goo.



Freeze. Until firm.

In a truly scientific fashion, I tested the semifreddo at various time points... and after about 3 hours it was perfect. Frozen, but still scoop-able.

Then I restrained myself, and left it there overnight. Just to see if it's still good if you make it miles and miles ahead of serving.

The good news... get organised and make this dessert days ahead of guests arriving!

However... tis a good idea to move from freezer to fridge at least 30 minutes (I left it in the fridge for a good hour) before serving or it will be way too hard. After a spell in the fridge, it will return to being smooth and soft-ish - and the nougat won't break your teeth.