Recipe from "Marcella's Italian Kitchen"
Adapted by Florence Fabricant
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- 4(481)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Semifreddo, which means "half-cold" in Italian, is a more elegant version of the traditional ice cream cake (think frozen mousse), and it's the ideal dessert for a summer party as it can be done in advance, then sliced and plated at the table.
This recipe, an adaptation of one found in Marcella Hazan's "Marcella's Italian Kitchen," is light yet luxurious. It calls for just four ingredients – heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, grated chocolate and egg whites – and it's dead simple to make. Just whip the cream, add the sugar, fold in the beaten egg whites and chocolate, and then freeze. Unmold, slice and serve. To gild the lily, garnish with fresh summer berries. —Florence Fabricant
Featured in: Ice Cream Family's Chic Italian Cousin
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 2cups very cold heavy cream
- 1¼cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 4ounces very finely grated semi sweet baking chocolate
- 6egg whites
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
292 calories; 23 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 42 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Whip the cream. Before it begins to stiffen and while it is still the consistency of buttermilk, add the confectioners' sugar a little at a time and continue whipping.
Step
2
When all the sugar has been incorporated and the cream is stiff enough to hold peaks, mix in the grated chocolate.
Step
3
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry; fold them into the cream and chocolate mixture.
Step
4
Line a loaf pan of 1½ to 2 quarts with wax paper and pour the mixture into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. To serve, unmold the loaf onto a platter, remove wax paper and slice.
- Creating semifreddo at home requires just a few pointers. Beat egg whites at room temperature, chill beaters and bowls used for whipping cream, and sift the confectioners' sugar.
Ratings
4
out of 5
481
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Cooking Notes
Betsy Starks
I do not use raw eggs. Is it possible to get egg whites that are safe from salmonella and e coli?
Diane B.
Beat the egg whites first; they'll hold up.
Anne
You can buy pasteurized egg whites in a carton.
Hayford Peirce
Grating the chocolate can be tricky. BUT there is a much easier way to do it. Step one: first chill the chocolate in the refrigerator for at least several hours until it is cold and hard. Step two: break or cut it into large chunks, then put them into the food processor and run the machine until you have nice small pieces. There MAY be one or two larger pieces left -- take them out and eat them! Use the rest in the semifreddo, which is indeed molto delicious -- and keeps for weeks.
LEL
Egg-cellant tip! Fat from the cream will cause egg white whipping to fail--wash and dry that bowl and beaters well.
Tessa
If you're chilling the beaters (or whisk) and bowl used for whipping cream I presume you would then wash the bowl and whisk attachment between whipping the cream and beating the egg whites. Not many of us have two stand mixers!
Frank Moore
Making Egg White Meringue with Pasteurized Eggs:
"If your eggs are not pasteurized and you want further safety, combine the eggs whites with the sugar in the recipe (using a minimum of 2 tablespoons of sugar per white) and beat over hot water or over low heat in a heavy saucepan until the whites stand in soft peaks. Without sugar, the whites will coagulate too rapidly and produce an unsatisfactory meringue."
frau dietel
you could try aquafaba. it is chickpea- water, which can be beaten like egg whites and used the same way. works like a charm!
Deb C
This egg white puzzle is exactly why I finally gave in to the idea of owning a second standing mixer bowl. Until I treated myself to this luxury, I often whipped the egg whites first and transferred them to another bowl. That was fine but this is better.
Tante Lois
For only 6 egg whites, you should be able to use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
Bellaverdi
This is such a pleasure to serve, especially in the summer. Light and fresh tasting.This time I bought egg whites already separated. I worried that they wouldn’t whip up properly, but they did the job. I was careful to bring them to room temp first.I served with a side bowl of fresh raspberry sauce. Yum!
Cam
I made this for a holiday get-together and it was super simple! The only issue was that it made much more than would fill a loaf pan, but I put the additional into mason jars and sent guests happily home with them. I'll likely repeat it for New Year's Day dessert. This time, I served it with a strained raspberry sauce and some mint. For New Year's I'll probably add some peppermint extract to the cream to boost the flavor. Almond or hazelnut would also be good, or vanilla in summer.
Sarah
I have made this several times. People love it! I add a little vanilla.
Diana Springfield
Can this be made 5 days in advance and kept frozen until time to serve, and how long csn it sit before serving?
Sherry Borener
I used the egg whites in a carton and definitely got the best taste for this. My first try was a fail (couldn't get the egg whites to whip) so I switched and it was a major success.
ChristineA
Sift the sugar before you measure it. I made the mistake of measuring first and the result was too sweet. Otherwise I followed the recipe to a T. I got it in the freezer at 1 o’clock and by 6 o’clock it was in good shape to serve. While I found the flavor a bit too subtle, I would try a variation with fruit, nuts, liqueur or more chocolate.
thepotterswife
Delicious! If you're an ice cream hound this recipe is frozen ambrosia. So simple to make. If you pour the mixture into a bread pan it's easy to dole out generous slices. My husband made chocolate cookies and we put slices of this dessert between the cookies, like ice cream Oreos.
Cam
I made this for a holiday get-together and it was super simple! The only issue was that it made much more than would fill a loaf pan, but I put the additional into mason jars and sent guests happily home with them. I'll likely repeat it for New Year's Day dessert. This time, I served it with a strained raspberry sauce and some mint. For New Year's I'll probably add some peppermint extract to the cream to boost the flavor. Almond or hazelnut would also be good, or vanilla in summer.
Bellaverdi
This is such a pleasure to serve, especially in the summer. Light and fresh tasting.This time I bought egg whites already separated. I worried that they wouldn’t whip up properly, but they did the job. I was careful to bring them to room temp first.I served with a side bowl of fresh raspberry sauce. Yum!
Tracy
Just lovely. And perfect for summertime. I cooked down some blackberries with a small amount of sugar and used that as a (perfectly matched) sauce.
HotRoxJeweler
This is the easiest semifreddo recipe I've ever made. I drizzled chocolate sauce on the plate, placed a slice of this delicious freddo and topped with fresh strawberries. It was a hit at 4th of July. I DID beat the egg whites at room temp and chilled the bowl and beater for the cream - didn't have a sifter in my new house but that didn't seem to make a difference.
N.B.
In the freezer! Waiting for the morning!
Bellaverdi
I made this Christmas Eve for a family party. It was a hit and so convenient as I made it a couple days ahead. Interesting that I had some leftover and wrapped it well. Several days later, it was stillQuite tasty.
Megan
This was super easy and made for an unfussy yet impressive looking dessert for a dinner party. Grating the chocolate was the worst part; I'll try Hayford's food processor tip next time. I cut the sugar down to only 1/2 c. and added a teaspoon of vanilla to make up for some of the flavor loss. Still delicious and perfect for people who prefer subtler desserts. I've never been able to get carton egg whites to whip up. I take my chances with pastured eggs.
Hayford Peirce
Grating the chocolate can be tricky. BUT there is a much easier way to do it. Step one: first chill the chocolate in the refrigerator for at least several hours until it is cold and hard. Step two: break or cut it into large chunks, then put them into the food processor and run the machine until you have nice small pieces. There MAY be one or two larger pieces left -- take them out and eat them! Use the rest in the semifreddo, which is indeed molto delicious -- and keeps for weeks.
GregBPortland
A great classic recipe, that wows at dinner parties. So delicious. And so typical of this great cookbook writer.
Ann
This took me about an hour, including grating the chocolate which I found tricky. I used a good microplane but still ended up with some chunks. Otherwise, this is a delicious and simple recipe. If anyone has helpful tips on finely grating chocolate, please share them!
dhwsmith
I used the grater attachment for the Kitchenaid mixer. It worked well. I expect that a hand-held rotary cheese greater might work also. If your chocolate seem too soft to grate, put it in the freezer for a bit, then try.
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