email this page- Eggs should be at room temperature, not so cold as to shock the mixture. Leave them on the counter 15 minutes or place them in a bowl of warm—not hot—water for 5 minutes.
- An egg custard should be thickened over the heat until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Look for a fairly thick mixture, about like melted ice cream. Dip a wooden spoon in it, then run your finger across the spoon’s rounded back—you should leave a trail in the custard with well-defined edges, ones that will not run or sag as the spoon is turned around.
- While churned-in air makes a frozen dessert smooth, too much will make it icy. Make sure the mixture is chilled before it goes in the machine. Make sure the machine itself is well-chilled, too. And place the dasher and other attachments in the freezer for 15 minutes so they’re cold.
- Store ice cream or frozen desserts on the floor of your freezer, its coldest part.
- A self-defrosting freezer is the enemy of frozen desserts. As it returns to the freezing point to melt frost, it also partially thaws a frozen dessert and then creates small ice crystals when refreezing. (Anyone who’s stored ice cream for a week or so is familiar with the problem.) The solution? Don’t let a frozen dessert sit in storage for very long—eat it for its own sake!
Mocha Magic Sundae
Lemon Heaven Sundae
Frangelico Fantastique Sundae
U.S. Mint Sundae
Bahama Breeze Sundae
Blueberry Sundaes with Cantaloupe
Coffee Semi-Freddo
High Cotton Food Styling & Photography
Printer Friendly Version
Do you like to print recipes and add them to your collection? You're in luck. Use our printer friendly version of this recipe.
Like a cold, soft, luscious marshmallowy meringue, a semi-freddo may be the most decadent frozen dessert out there. This dessert is a three-bowl process—but for something this good, you’d expect to dirty everything you’ve got.
Ingredients
Ingredients
5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup brewed espresso or very strong coffee
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup brewed espresso or very strong coffee
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Line two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with plastic wrap so excess hangs well over pans’ sides.
2. Pour water to a depth of 2-inches in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until light and foamy in heat-safe mixing bowl that will fit securely over the saucepan. Set the bowl over pan, add espresso or coffee, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until thick and tripled in volume, about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the pan occasionally. Remove bowl (be careful of escaping steam) and cool 15 minutes.
4. Clean and dry beaters. Beat egg whites and salt in second bowl at high speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar, then beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a steady, thin stream. Set bowl over simmering water and continue beating at medium speed until thick and hot, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Clean and dry beaters again. Whip cream and vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer at high speed until doubled in volume.
6. Fold egg-white mixture into egg-yolk mixture, then gently fold in whipped cream. Pour and spread into prepared pans. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer at least 12 hours or up to 3 days. To unmold, remove top plastic wrap, place loaf pan over serving platter, and wiggle semi-freddo free with pieces of plastic wrap hanging over sides. Slice with a sharp knife. Serves 12.
Recipe by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, "Relish a Classic Dish," July 2007.
2. Pour water to a depth of 2-inches in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until light and foamy in heat-safe mixing bowl that will fit securely over the saucepan. Set the bowl over pan, add espresso or coffee, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until thick and tripled in volume, about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the pan occasionally. Remove bowl (be careful of escaping steam) and cool 15 minutes.
4. Clean and dry beaters. Beat egg whites and salt in second bowl at high speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar, then beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a steady, thin stream. Set bowl over simmering water and continue beating at medium speed until thick and hot, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Clean and dry beaters again. Whip cream and vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer at high speed until doubled in volume.
6. Fold egg-white mixture into egg-yolk mixture, then gently fold in whipped cream. Pour and spread into prepared pans. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer at least 12 hours or up to 3 days. To unmold, remove top plastic wrap, place loaf pan over serving platter, and wiggle semi-freddo free with pieces of plastic wrap hanging over sides. Slice with a sharp knife. Serves 12.
Recipe by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, "Relish a Classic Dish," July 2007.
Related Stories
If you enjoyed reading this story, Frozen Dessert Tips, then you might enjoy these other stories.Share This Story With Others:
Discuss this Article
There are no current discussions for this article. Why not be the first?
