I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream!
Yep, today’s recipe is a homemade ice-cream dessert. With warmer weather right around the corner (I mean, c’mon spring!), what better way to indulge than with a cool (literally) dessert.
The recipe that I am about to share was presented to me by my sister, who, in turn first tried it when our sister-in-law made it. It came from a very badly translated cookbook in Lithuanian, so we not only had fun trying to interpret the very recipe but also looking forward to what is going to come out of it. Introducing Semifreddo!
The good news – Semifreddo came out delicious (otherwise I wouldn’t be sharing it here now, would I?:) It has since become a family favorite and I already know what I am bringing to the parties in the summer!
Anyway, the first time I heard the name it sounded different so my sister and I jokingly called it “half a Fred” seeing as “semi” means “half” and we couldn’t come up with any other word than the name Fred for the other part of the word.
Jokes aside though, it turns out that the name Semifreddo means half-cold/half-frozen in Italian. It is a recipe that is somewhere between a mousse and ice-cream and does not require any special equipment to make, except patience (while the dessert sits in the freezer for a few hours:)
From what I have researched online, I noticed that a Semifreddo usually contain eggs and heavy cream with a base that gives it substance. However, the very dessert is super light and melts on your tongue easily. In fact, I feel like I almost have to keep trying more and more of it for my brain to register that what’s going on!
The recipe below does not require eggs but totally takes ricotta cheese to the next level!
A light half-frozen dessert that is sure to be a great addition to any dinner party.
- 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 16 oz heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- berries to taste
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Line a loaf pan with parchment paper
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In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, shredded coconut and vanila extract.
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Fold in the chocolate chips into the ricotta mixture.
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Mix sugar and heavy cream and whip the cream until thick.
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Fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture.
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Spoon the dessert into the lined loaf pan and even out the top.
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Cover it with the plastic wrap and freeze for about 4 hours (if you can wait that long!:)
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Serve with fresh or frozen berries, fruit, chocolate, caramel - you name it.
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Challenge: try to make it last!
Chocolate:
I usually use dark chocolate (Ghirardelli) chips and shred them with my Nutribulet so they blend in nicely. However, you can totally just chop them up. You may also use a chocolate bar and grate it.
Coconut:
The coconut flakes that I buy are unsweetened and rather large. Again, Nutribulet to the rescue - I shred them with it and they blend in really well.
So….
Have you ever tried semifreddo?
If so, is your recipe similar to the one I shared here?
Let me know in the comments below!
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