Chocolate Semifreddo

Italy’s elegant alternative to gelato (and ice cream) is rich and decadently creamy—and requires no special equipment to make.

j B Y A N N I E P E T I T O k

Ilove ice cream, but it isn’t the most elegant way to cap off an evening. Serving a scoop (even homemade) at a dinner party always feels a little too casual. Enter semifreddo, a classic Italian dessert that’s often described as a frozen mousse. (Though it’s fully frozen, its name roughly translates as “half-frozen.”) There are many styles, but like ice cream (or gelato), semifreddo typically starts with a custard base. However, instead of being churned in an ice cream maker, semifreddo is lightened with whipped cream and/or beaten egg whites. Then it’s frozen in a loaf pan until solid, unmolded, and cut into neat slices. But instead of being hard and densely packed, semifreddo is soft enough that it easily caves to the pressure of a spoon. Better yet, unlike ice cream, it can sit out of the freezer for an extended period of time without melting, which makes it ideal for serving to company. An elegant frozen dessert that doesn’t require an ice cream maker, doesn’t melt easily, and is make-ahead by design? That checks a lot of boxes for me, so I tried a bunch of chocolate versions (my favorite flavor) that looked appealing.

Soft Serve

I immediately ruled out using whipped egg whites to lighten the custard, as they tended to produce a chewy, marshmallow-like semifreddo. I wanted a version that was lush and rich, so whipped cream would be my aerator of choice.

I started with a particularly rich custard from my research: I heated ¾ cup of heavy cream in a saucepan, thoroughly whisked it into five beaten egg yolks mixed with a few tablespoons of sugar, and poured the custard back into the saucepan to cook gently until it reached 160 degrees. I then introduced a nifty trick: I quickly poured the hot custard over 8 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate so that the chocolate melted, which saved me the extra step of melting it beforehand. Once the custard cooled, I gently folded in softly whipped cream. Finally, I poured the custard into a plastic wrap–lined loaf pan (that way, it would detach more easily from the pan) and froze it until solid, which took about 6 hours.

But I had gone overboard: While the semifreddo had deep chocolate flavor, it was so rich that I couldn’t eat more than a few bites. Also, despite the fact that it had just come out of the freezer, it seemed to lack a certain refreshing coldness. I decided to cut some richness from the next batch of custard by replacing the heavy cream with an equal amount of milk. The dessert tasted lighter for sure—too lean, in fact. And in contrast to the fattier semifreddo, this one seemed overly cold, almost like a popsicle. It also melted a lot faster. (For more information, see “Keeping Semifreddo in Shape.”)

I would obviously need to add back some fat, so for my next batch, I used heavy cream cut with ¼ cup water (this combo still had more fat than milk alone). This time I nailed it: The semifreddo was lush, sliced neatly, and—interestingly—tasted cold

without feeling numbingly so. The only drawback was the fussy step of separating all those eggs, so I tried again with a combination of heavy cream, water, and three whole eggs instead of five yolks. The results were even better—the perfect balance of decadent and refreshing, thanks to the extra water in the egg whites—and the method was easier and less wasteful. But I was curious to learn why the dessert had seemed more or less cold, depending on how much fat was in it. After a conversation with our science editor, I understood: When you put a spoonful of frozen dessert on your tongue and you feel its coldness, that’s because heat energy is transferring from your tongue into the dessert, making your tongue colder. The extent to which that happens—and hence the amount of coldness you feel—depends not only on the temperature of the dessert but also on its ingredients, such as the amount of fat versus water. Try this little experiment: Reach into your freezer, pull out an ice cube and a stick of butter, and grasp them for a minute. The semifreddo, cherry sauce, and candied nuts can all be prepared well in They’re both the same temperature, but advance of serving time, making this an ideal dessert for company. the ice cube feels colder. That’s because frozen water can take in more heat from your body (and more quickly) than frozen fat, so your hand loses more heat and feels colder. For the same reason, at equal serving temperatures, an ice cream with more fat in it will seem less cold in your mouth than a leaner recipe. T E C H N I Q U E S M O OT H T H E S I D E S A N D TO P

See Annie Chill Out A step-by-step video is available Before slicing, use an ofset spatula to smooth any at CooksIllustrated.com/jun18 wrinkles on the surface of the semifreddo.

All Dressed Up

Though some semifreddo recipes call for mixing candied fruit, nuts, or cookies into the custard, I enjoyed my version’s smooth, creamy texture and was hesitant to change it. But a garnish would offer textural contrast and make the dessert look more festive.

In my research I’d seen a chocolate semifreddo with a deep red cherry sauce spooned over each slice, so I put together my own version made with frozen sweet cherries, sugar, kirsch (cherry brandy), and a little cornstarch for body. The color and flavor were vivid, and the plump fruit nicely complemented the satiny semifreddo. For a bit of crunch, I made a batch of candied nuts with a pinch of salt to contrast with the dessert’s sweetness.

Rich and satiny. Elegant. Deeply chocolaty. Make-ahead (you can even slice off a portion and freeze the rest for later). No ice cream maker required. Time to plan another dinner party.

CHOCOLATE SEMIFREDDO

SERVES 12

The semifreddo needs to be frozen for at least 6 hours before serving. We developed this recipe with our favorite dark chocolate, Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar. Do not whip the heavy cream until the chocolate mixture has cooled. If the semifreddo is difficult to release from the pan, run a thin offset spatula around the edges of the pan or carefully run the sides of the pan under hot water for 5 to 10 seconds. For tips on folding in the whipped cream, see “The Best Way to Fold” on page 30. If frozen overnight, the semifreddo should be tempered before serving for the best texture. To temper, place slices on individual plates or a large tray, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve the semifreddo as is or with our Cherry Sauce (recipe follows). For some crunch, sprinkle each serving with Quick Candied Nuts (page 29).

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder 3 large eggs 5 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 2 cups heavy cream, chilled ¼ cup water

1. Lightly spray loaf pan with vegetable oil spray and line with plastic wrap, leaving 3-inch overhang on all sides. Place chocolate in large heatproof bowl; set fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside. Stir vanilla and espresso powder in small bowl until espresso powder is dissolved. 2. Whisk eggs, sugar, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Heat ½ cup cream (keep remaining 1½ cups chilled) and water in medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Slowly whisk hot cream mixture into egg mixture until combined. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of saucepan with rubber spatula, until mixture is very slightly thickened and registers 160 to 165 degrees, about 5 minutes. Do not let mixture simmer. 3. Immediately pour mixture through strainer set over chocolate. Let mixture stand to melt chocolate, about 5 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth, then whisk in vanilla-espresso mixture. Let chocolate mixture cool completely, about 15 minutes. 4. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 1½ cups cream on low speed until bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat until whisk leaves trail, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until nearly doubled in volume and whipped cream forms soft peaks, 30 to 45 seconds longer. 5. Whisk one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Using rubber spatula, gently fold remaining whipped cream into chocolate mixture until incorporated and no streaks of whipped cream remain. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread evenly with rubber spatula. Fold overhanging plastic over surface. Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. 6. When ready to serve, remove plastic from surface and invert pan onto serving plate. Remove plastic and smooth surface with spatula as necessary. Dip slicing knife in very hot water and wipe dry. Slice semifreddo ¾ inch thick, transferring slices to individual plates and dipping and wiping knife after each slice. Serve immediately. (Semifreddo can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 2 weeks.)

Keeping Semifreddo in Shape

Fat and air help semifreddo resist melting and keep its shape once it’s out of the freezer. Our semifreddo has an abundance of butterfat, and butterfat melts well above room temperature. Even more important, the air from the whipped cream acts as an insulator, slowing the transfer of ambient heat much like the lufy feathers in a down jacket. It’s this latter factor that allows our semifreddo to retain its shape longer than most ice creams, since whipped cream contains more trapped air than what’s introduced into ice cream during churning.

To demonstrate how air acts as an insulator, we compared how quickly 1 cup of frozen unwhipped heavy cream would melt versus 1 cup of heavy cream that we whipped before freezing. The frozen unwhipped heavy cream began to slump and soften after about 15 minutes and was ringed by a puddle of liquid after 45 minutes; meanwhile, the frozen whipped cream remained comparatively irm and exhibited little melting.

N O A I R = M O R E M E LT I N G AIR = LESS MELTI N G

The frozen unwhipped cream (above left) began to melt after about 15 minutes at room temperature. The trapped air in frozen whipped cream (above right) helped it resist melting, even after 45 minutes at room temperature.

You Need Just a Mixer, Not an Ice Cream Maker

Airy whipped cream gives semifreddo its signature light, frozen mousse–like texture, with no churning in an ice cream maker required.

CHERRY SAUCE

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

This recipe was developed with frozen cherries. Do not thaw the cherries before using. Water can be substituted for the kirsch, if desired.

12 ounces frozen sweet cherries ¼ cup sugar 2 tablespoons kirsch 1½ teaspoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Combine cherries and sugar in bowl and microwave for 1½ minutes. Stir, then continue to microwave until sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 minute longer. Combine kirsch and cornstarch in small bowl. 2. Drain cherries in fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan. Return cherries to bowl and set aside. 3. Bring juice in saucepan to simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in kirsch mixture and bring to boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened and appears syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in cherries and lemon juice. Let sauce cool completely before serving. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)