PRALINE SEMIFREDDO BY TOSCANA
Semifreddo – which translates to “half cold/frozen” – is a classic Italian dessert that falls halfway between mousse and ice cream, with the consistency of a frozen mousse and the flavor of ice cream. At Toscana we make it with the very best of Irish dairy cream, our farm fresh organic eggs and a little love from chef Raffaele to make this a wonderful easy summer dessert to impress any guest.
Ingredients (Serves 6)
150g (5 1/2oz) croccante (praline)
625ml (2 1/2 cups) thick (double/heavy) cream
2 Eggs, separated
90g (3 1/2cups) Icing (confectioners) sugar
2 Tablespoons Mandorla (almond flavoured Marsala) or brandy
Garnish (optional)
Milk chocolate squares
Amaretti biscuit
Fresh mint
Method
Finely crush the praline (croccante) in a food processor or in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin. Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Beat the egg yolks with a quarter of the icing sugar until it has a pale appearance. Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry glass bowl until stiff peaks form (be sure not to have any yolk or egg shells inside), then gradually add the rest of the icing sugar and whisk until glossy stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg yolks into the cream, then fold the egg whites. Fold in the croccante and Mandorla.
Line six 250ml metal dome moulds with two long strips of foil each. Or you can use a Martini glass. Spoon in the mixture, level the surface and tap each mould on the table a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Cover the surface with more foil and freeze for a minimum of 24 hours. To serve leave a room temperature for 5 minutes, then use the foil as handles to remove from the mould or serve straight from the Martini glass, dressed with grated chocolate and amaretti biscuit with fresh sprig of garden mint to garnish.
Buon Appetito!