Description
A festive Christmas semifreddo featuring roasted almonds, walnuts, and golden and regular raisins, infused with warm spices and vanilla for a creamy, chilled dessert perfect for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
For the semifreddo
- 4 egg yolks
- 60 ml water
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- pinch 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 it with 4 tbsp icing sugar if you're skipping the raisins)
To garnish
- almonds chopped
- walnuts chopped
- raisins chopped
- icing sugar
Instructions
- Roast and chop nuts: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Roast the almonds and walnuts for 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow them to cool, then chop.
- Prepare the pan: Line a 22x11cm bread pan with baking paper cut to size, securing it with a little vegetable oil using kitchen paper to stick it.
- Beat egg yolks: Place the egg yolks in a bowl and begin beating on low speed to prevent skin formation.
- Make sugar syrup and combine: Boil the water and granulated sugar over medium heat until sugar fully dissolves and syrup boils profusely. Increase egg yolk speed to high and slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl while beating continuously.
- Whip mixture to cool: Continue beating the egg yolk and syrup mixture on high speed until it increases in volume and cools to room temperature. Fold in roasted nuts and chopped raisins carefully with a spatula.
- Whip cream: In a separate clean bowl, whip the cold cream until foamy and glossy, but not fully firm. If skipping raisins, whip cream with 4 tablespoons icing sugar.
- Combine cream and egg mixture: Fold the whipped cream gently into the egg yolk mixture until well incorporated.
- Freeze semifreddo: Pour the combined mixture into the lined pan 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, and flip onto a serving dish. If not using paper, dip the pan briefly in warm water before flipping. Garnish with chopped almonds, walnuts, raisins, and a dusting of icing sugar.
Notes
- Roasting nuts enhances their flavor and crunch; avoid over-roasting to prevent bitterness.
- If you don’t have vanilla paste or pod, vanilla extract or essence are acceptable substitutes, but paste or seeds give the best flavor.
- Make sure the egg yolk mixture cools to room temperature before folding in cream to prevent melting.
- Use fresh cold whipping cream for best texture.
- Freeze the semifreddo for a minimum of 8 hours to ensure it’s fully set before serving.
- Line the pan carefully with baking paper for easy unmolding; if not available, warm water can help release the dessert.
- Dusting with icing sugar adds a festive touch and slight sweetness to garnish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 100 g)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 35 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 165 mg
