Wednesday 18 February 2015

CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO

Believe or not but all the credits for this amazing Italian dessert should go to British chef,  Gordon Ramsey and his Home Cooking TV show.  As I was watching him making it dessert, I was fascinated of how easy and quick he whipped up such a lovely sweet treat.  So I gave it a try.  It turned out to be exactly as easy to make as in was showing on the screen and it tasted every bit delicious as Gordon promised. So here it is, my new sweet hero.
CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO

The semifreddo (Italian for half-cold) is a bit like a cheat’s ice cream.  The genius of it is that you don’t have to make a custard base or churn it smooth in an ice cream maker; you simply combine beaten eggs, whipped cream and your flavouring and freeze it.  It makes the perfect make-ahead dinner party dessert.

One more point to consider:  although the recipe calls for 10 people, I can guarantee you that it can feed more, just cut the slices a bit thinner.

To serve it to 10 people you need:
Oil or butter for greasing
275 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) plus extra for decorating
4 medium free rage eggs
100g of caster sugar
500ml of double cream
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod (I used 1 tbsp of vanilla essence)
100g pistachio nuts, loose skin rubbed off

Method:
Lightly grease the inside of a 1 kg loaf tin with oil or butter then line it with two layers of clingfilm, leaving a generous overhang.

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (the bowl should not touch water).  Heat until melted, then stir well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO
Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in another bowl and whisk for 3-4 minutes, until pale, think and fluffy.  When the whisk is lifted, the mixture should leave a trail on the surface.  
Stir in cooled chocolate into the egg mixture.
CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO


CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO

CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO

Put the cream and vanilla seeds in a separate bowl and whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks.  Add the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture, then fold in the pistachios, pour into a prepared loaf tin, cover with an overhanging clingfilm and freeze overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.  It could stay in the freezer for up to 2 weeks before you use it.

Remove the semifreddo from the freezer 10 minutes before serving in order to soften it a little.  Run the back of your knife around the inside edges of the tin, then peel back the top clingfilm and turn the semifreddo onto a board or serving plate.  Remover the rest of the clingfilm, then grate a little extra dark chocolate over the top before slicing and serving.
CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO



Enjoy!!!

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