Home

Hazelnut Semifreddo

17/11/2023

Hazelnut semifreddo is a delicious spoon dessert that can be enjoyed in every season. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 250 g of peeled and toasted hazelnuts
  • 200 g of granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 500 ml of fresh cream for desserts
  • 100 ml of whole milk
  • 1 vanilla pod or a packet of vanillin

Preparation

  1. Begin by toasting the hazelnuts in the oven at 160 °C for about 10 minutes; make sure they don’t burn. After toasting, finely chop them.

  2. Prepare a syrup by boiling 100 g of sugar with a little water until the consistency of a syrup is reached. Let it cool.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (100 g) until you have a frothy and light mixture.

  4. Add the warm milk, which you will have previously warmed with the split vanilla pod to flavor (or the vanillin). Mix well.

  5. Take the mixture of eggs, sugar, and milk to the heat and let it thicken slightly in a double boiler, continuing to stir to prevent lumps. It should not come to a boil. Once the cream is thick, remove from the heat and let it cool completely.

  6. Semi-whip the fresh cream for desserts; it should be whipped but still soft.

  7. Gently incorporate the whipped cream into the cold egg cream.

  8. Carefully also fold in the chopped hazelnuts and the cool syrup, taking care not to deflate the mixture.

  9. Pour the mixture into a plumcake mold lined with cling film or use single-portion molds. Place in the freezer for at least 4-6 hours.

  10. To serve, remove the semifreddo from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before and gently unmold. If you wish, you can decorate it with whole hazelnuts or hazelnut grains and a drizzle of melted chocolate.

Curiosity

The semifreddo is a versatile dessert that turns out to be lighter than ice cream and can come in many flavors. The hazelnut is particularly appreciated in Piedmont, Italy, where some of the best hazelnuts in the world are produced, known as “Piedmont IGP Hazelnuts”.