Coffee Semifreddo Cooking Recipe – Semifreddo Al Caffe Recipe
Semifreddi are frozen desserts presented as individual portions or as cakes. They consist mainly of pastry cream, with added whipped cream and Italian meringue.
Serves 8
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Chilling time: 6 hours
Ingredients
- For 1 cup (7 oz./200 g) pastry cream
- Scant ½ cup (100 ml) milk
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup (2 oz./50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 20 drops coffee extract
- 1 tablespoon rum
- ½ cup (3 oz./80 g) hazelnut paste
- For ½ cup (3 ½ oz./100 g) Italian meringue
- 2 egg whites
- ⅓ cup (2 oz./60 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (170 ml) whipping cream
- ¼ cup (1 oz./30 g) confectioners’ sugar
Equipment
- 1 kitchen thermometer
Preparation Method
Prepare the pastry cream.
- Heat the milk to boiling point.
- Whisk the egg yolk with the sugar until thick and pale; add the sifted flour and cornstarch.
- Whisk together well.
- Add the hot milk gradually to this mixture, stirring continuously.
- Return to the heat and boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool, stirring from time to time, to avoid a skin forming on the surface.
Make the Italian meringue.
- Whisk the egg whites with 1 ⅔ tablespoon (20 g) sugar.
- Heat 3 ⅓ tablespoons (40 g) of sugar with 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of water in a saucepan and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and small bubbles form on the surface; the syrup should reach 239°F (115°C).
- Pour the syrup slowly onto the beaten egg whites (1), whisking continuously until quite cold.
Assemble the dish.
- Place the whipping cream with the confectioners’ sugar in a chilled bowl and whisk until stiff.
- Add the coffee extract, rum, and hazelnut paste to the pastry cream and mix.
- Gently fold in the Italian meringue using a spatula (2, 3).
- Next, add the whipped cream in the same way, taking care that the mixture does not begin to collapse.
- Pour the mixture into individual ramekins (4), or into a metal container. Freeze for 6 hours.
- To unmold, just moisten the outside of the molds with a damp cloth and turn out.
- Decorate with chocolate chips and powdered coffee.
Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Cooking Recipe – Salsa Di Aceto Balsamico Recipe
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) balsamic vinegar from Modena (PGI)
- ⅓ cup (2 oz./60 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) red wine
Preparation Method
- Put the balsamic vinegar, granulated sugar, and red wine in a saucepan, then reduce the liquid by half over a low heat (approximately 30 minutes).
Chef’s note
This unusual sauce goes very well with ice creams and sorbets, especially vanilla Ice cream and strawberry sorbet.
