It is time for another Blue Ribbon Challenge. Anna at Crunchy Creamy Sweet is kind enough to sponsor this challenge again this month. The challenge this month is to make a semifreddo. To be honest with you I had never heard of semifreddo before this. If you are like me and have never heard of a semifreddo before, I found a definition in my Joy Of Cooking cookbook: Semifreddi are frozen mousses usually made with a custard or egg base, lightened with a whipped cream, and molded in a loaf pan or individual goblets. Sounds yummy; doesn’t it!
As I just stated this is the first time that I have heard of the term semifreddo, so I set out first of all to find out what I would be making and then second of all to find a recipe. I wanted something simple, because I knew that I would be making it last minute. With my father-in-law here until Sunday, I had decided to put this off until he had left. I wasn’t quite sure how long it would take to make and I didn’t want to take too much of my time making something for the blog; we were way too busy playing games and cards for that.
I found a nice simple recipe in my Joy Of Cooking cookbook. The recipe was chocolate of course. It didn’t involve too many ingredients, but it was time consuming. A lot of beating that is in beating of the eggs, the egg mixture, and then the whipping cream. But by the time it was ready to put into the freezer the mixture was so fluffy and creamy, I couldn’t wait until it was frozen so that I could sample it.
The dessert was supposed to freeze at least for 8 hours; the one that I made was in the freezer for almost 24 hours. I was a little worried that it would not be as good with sitting in the freezer for that long, but I was wrong. The semifreddo was creamy, sweet, and delicious. All that beating I mentioned earlier was well worth it. The dessert was a little bit of frozen chocolate heaven on a very hot day.
I hope that you will head over to Anna’s at Crunchy Creamy Sweet and see all the wonderful semifreddo recipes that everyone else has posted. I am sure it will a little bit of sweet heaven. Thank you Anna for sponsoring the Blue Ribbon Challenge again this month.
Chocolate Semifreddo (As found in the Joy Of Cooking cookbook)
Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing the excess to hang over the edges. Beat in a bowl with mixer on medium-high speed, 2 to 3 minutes:
4 large eggs
Combine in a small saucepan:
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
Simmer over medium heat until the syrup is clear. With the mixer running on medium-high speed, slowly add the hot sugar syrup to the eggs, pouring it down the side of the bowl. Place the bowl over, not in, a saucepan of simmering water, and heat the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling, to 160 degree F, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat on high speed until light and fluffy and cooled to room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes. Gently fold in:
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whip to soft peaks:
1 cup heavy cream
Gently fold the cream into chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and place plastic wrap directly on the surface. Freeze until firm, at least 8 hours.
Remove the plastic covering and un-mold the semifreddo onto a serving platter. Peel away plastic wrap, slice, and serve immediately. Top with chopped nuts, chocolate, or whatever tickles your fancy.
Note: For a dramatic increase in flavor, substitute brandy or Frangelico for the water.
This sounds fantastic, Dawn! I bet I would love it.
Yes! I was hoping to see a chocolate version of this amazing dessert! Thank you so much for participating! xoxo
This looks super!
Beautiful! This looks so wonderfully delicious!
look delicious!!
It looks delicious!
Perfect for the hot summer weather!
It’s hard to believe this is your first semifreddo! It looks like shear chocolate heaven! Don’t you just love that light creamy texture!?! I love your suggestion for adding Frangelico! : )
I have never heard of semifreddo..kind of glad about it…I think I could eat the whole thing. wow..that really looks yummy!
I’ve always wondered what a semifreddo was, thank you for clearing that up! I can’t tell you how delicious it looks, mmmm chocolate moose
I have seen many semifreddo recipes, but haven’t prepared one myself yet. Yours looks fabulous!
Dear friend,
I am carving what you have shared with us (smile). Interesting write also. Thanks for sharing.
Oh I love this! So much chocolate goodness!
ohh man, this looks soooooo delicious and chocolatey!
Who doesn’t love chocolate and this recipe looks scrumptious!!
It was probably better because it had longer to set!
This comment has been removed by the author.
Love it ♥ You are very inspiring dear.I just discovered your blog and really like it.! I just shared
Rainbow Nails on my blog. If you have a minute, I would love to hear your comment.
Also, let me know if you want us to follow each other. I will definitely follow you back…
Blow a Rainbow
Blow a Rainbow on Facebook
O.X.Y.G.E.N.on Facebook
Blow a Rainbow on Bloglovin
Blow a Rainbow on Pinterest
Blow a Rainbow on Lookbook
Blow a Rainbow on Tumblr
Have a great day!
WOW, it looks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WOWengly GOOOOOOOD 😀
xoxo
Lovely semifreddo! Looks like perfect chocolaty goodness.:)
Oh my! this is so tempting & heavenly with chocolate! 🙂
Always delicious! So so yummy as I see it. I think we have the savor life and its goodness including the food!
I don’t have an ice cream machine so your semifreddo would be perfect.
Oh thatlooks and sound like heaven on a plate. 🙂
Such a coincidence – I made my first semifreddo today! I haven’t tried it yet but I hope it comes out as good as yours! This looks decadent and delicious!
This looks beautiful & so easy … Not sure why I’ve never made semifreddo before 🙂
Thanks for your explanation of what a semifreddo is. I kinda sorta knew, but you confirmed it. It’s one of those desserts you hear about from time to time, but I’ve never tried one. This looks great! Thanks.
I’ve yet to make a semifreddo myself, but you’ve inspired me. This looks delicious and so very chocolatey! Yum!
This looks fantastic! And how have I never made this before? Adding this to my to-do list.
This look and sounds really yummy! 🙂
Hi! Your semifreddo recipe was nominated as one of the “Best 300 Semifreddo Recipes on the Net”. To vote for it, please visit http://easyitalianrecipes.org/dessert-recipes/best-300-italian-semifreddo-recipes-on-the-net-vote-for-your-favorite/ – your recipe is positioned at #260 (random order).