Description
This festive Christmas Semifreddo is a creamy frozen dessert featuring roasted almonds, walnuts, and golden and regular raisins, lightly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It's a perfect make-ahead holiday treat that combines rich textures with warm holiday flavors, topped with chopped nuts and a dusting of icing sugar for a delightful presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
For the semifreddo
- 4 egg yolks
- 60 ml water
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 40 g almonds
- 40 g walnuts
- 30 g golden raisins, chopped
- 30 g regular raisins, chopped
- 250 ml whipping cream, cold (whip with 4 tbsp icing sugar if skipping raisins)
To garnish
- Chopped almonds
- Chopped walnuts
- Chopped raisins
- Icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Roast nuts: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Spread almonds and walnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool, then chop.
- Prepare pan: Line a 22x11 cm bread pan with baking paper cut to size. Brush the paper with a little vegetable oil using kitchen paper to help it stick in place.
- Beat egg yolks: Place egg yolks in a bowl and begin beating on low speed to prevent a dry skin from forming on top.
- Make sugar syrup: In a saucepan over medium heat, boil water and granulated sugar until sugar dissolves and the mixture boils steadily. The syrup does not need to thicken.
- Combine syrup and yolks: While beating egg yolks on high speed, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl.
- Whip yolk mixture: Continue beating yolks on high speed until the volume increases and the mixture cools to room temperature.
- Add nuts and raisins: Fold the chopped roasted nuts and raisins gently into the yolk mixture using a spatula.
- Whip cream: In a clean bowl, whip the cold cream until foamy and glossy but not fully firm.
- Combine cream and yolk mixture: Carefully fold the whipped cream into the yolk and nuts mixture until well combined.
- Freeze semifreddo: Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, cover, and freeze for at least 8 hours until firm.
- Unmold and garnish: Use the baking paper to lift the semifreddo from the pan. Unstick the paper from the sides, place it back in the pan, then flip onto a serving dish. If no paper lining was used, dip the pan briefly in warm water to loosen before flipping.
- Decorate: Sprinkle chopped almonds, walnuts, and raisins on top, then dust with icing sugar before serving.
Notes
- Roasting nuts enhances their flavor and crunch; do not skip this step.
- Using vanilla paste or real vanilla seeds gives a more authentic vanilla flavor compared to extracts or essences.
- If you prefer no raisins, increase the icing sugar in the cream to 4 tablespoons for sweetness.
- Make sure the sugar syrup is hot enough to cook the egg yolks safely by boiling thoroughly.
- The semifreddo needs at least 8 hours to freeze solid, so plan ahead and prepare it the day before serving.
- For easier slicing, allow the semifreddo to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before cutting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 100 g)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg
