What is Chocolate Semifreddo?

My plan to make an elegant dessert led me to find chocolate semifreddo, which I had never even heard of before.  After some investigating, I discovered that semifreddo is an Italian partially frozen dessert.  Translated, semifreddo means half cold or half-frozen.   The easy technique for making this dessert results in a lighter textured smooth, rich, and creamy dessert.  The semifreddo is lightened with whipped cream making a lighter base and, after freezing, the result is a semi-frozen dessert with a silky mousse-like texture.

 

Chocolate Semifreddo Recipe

• 10 – ounces Bittersweet Chocolate
• 4 large eggs
• *7 Tablespoons superfine sugar
• 2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean

*Don't have superfine sugar?  Place 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon of regular granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor or blender.  Pulse the sugar a few times until the sugar is finer in texture.  Don't over-process.  You don't want to create powdered sugar!  Measure out what you need and pour the rest back into your sugar container.

 

Directions:

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Prepare the Pan

First, rub a light layer of cooking oil on the inside of a 5 x 10-inch loaf pan.  (It will help the plastic wrap slide out easier.)  Then, line with plastic wrap lengthwise leaving a sizable amount of overhang on both ends.  Next, layer another piece of plastic wrap widthwise allowing another sizable amount of overhang on both ends.

Melt the Chocolate Bars

Break the chocolate bars into pieces and place in a heatproof glass bowl over a pan filled with water.  Make sure the water does not touch the bowl. 

Bring the water to a simmer.  Make sure it does not boil.  Melt the chocolate pieces, stir, remove from the burner, and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Whisk the Eggs and Sugar

Next, add the eggs to the superfine sugar in a glass bowl and whisk about 4 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and fluffy.  When you raise the whisk, the mixture should leave a trail.

 

 

Add the Melted Chocolate

Add the cooled chocolate to the sugar and egg mixture and gently stir until combined.  Be sure that the chocolate has cooled for 5 minutes so you don’t end up scrambling the eggs!

 

Whisk the Cream and Vanilla Bean Seeds

Pour the cream into a chilled bowl and add the vanilla seeds.  Whisk until soft peaks form.  (Using a chilled bowl will speed up the process.)

Add the Cream to the Chocolate Mixture

Gently stir the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.

 

Serving the Chocolate Semifreddo

Pull the plastic wrap back and turn the semifreddo onto a serving plate.  Allow the dessert to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Leftovers

Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap before freezing.  You want to minimize air around the semifreddo.

Love chocolate?  Check out these other ►chocolate desserts!