Semifreddo al Pistacchio (Pistachio Semifreddo)

Semifreddo (pronounced say-mee-FRAY-dough) that in Italian means half frozen, is a typical Italian dessert prepared with whipped cream, custard and meringue. Here is my recipe, received from a Sicilian friend, therefore I should say authentic. You can vary the flavors by adding different ingredients such as pistachios, almonds, crushed amaretti cookies, coffee. You can express your creativity! Semifreddo has the texture of frozen mousse. I love it with pistachios from Bronte, a small village in Sicily, considered the capital of Italy for this delicious nut. Pistachios from Bronte are very tasty and have a beautiful emerald green color. The addition of raspberry sauce with its contrasting hue makes this dessert irresistible.

This recipe belong to my book Love is Eating.  I am very happy and pleased to share it with you my beloved followers and readers.  I have to ask you to forgive me, (PLEASE), for not having done posts recently but I have been very busy working on a very intersting project you will love. Stay tuned!!!

SEMIFREDDO AL PISTACCHIO (PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO)

Preparation time: 30 minutes         Cooling time: 5 hours                  Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS

Semifreddo
125 g (1 cup) pistachios, finely chopped
400 ml (1 ⅔ cups) heavy cream, cold
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
100 g (½ cup) sugar
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ tsp salt
Sauce
280 g (10 z) raspberries
52 g (¼ cup) sugar
3 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp Brandy liqueur

DIRECTIONS

1. Line the bottom and long sides of a 24×12.5 cm (about 9×5 inches) loaf pan with some cling film.
2. Whip the cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters. Store in the fridge.
3. In a bowl beat the egg yolks and the sugar over simmering water, do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. The yolks should be creamy and pale yellow. Remove from the heat and add the pistachios.
4. Over the same simmering water, in a different bowl beat the egg whites with salt until fluffy. Use the precaution as for the eggs yolks.
5. Gently fold together all ingredients using a spatula: the whipped cream, the egg yolks and the egg white. Wrap some plastic over the top of the loaf pan, freeze for at least 5 hours.
6. For the raspberry sauce, cook the raspberries with the sugar, the water and the Brandy over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Place a sifter over a small bowl. Strain the sauce to remove seeds.
7. Remove the semifreddo from the freezer 25 minutes before serving. Remove the plastic wrap from the top. Place a serving dish on top of the loaf pan, turn it upside down, carefully remove the pan and then plastic wrap. If the semifreddo looks wrinkled, run a warm knife blade around to remove the wrinkles. Serve with the raspberry sauce. Also give it a try with a glass of Passito, a sweet dessert wine from the beautiful island of Pantelleria.

Note: You can use pasteurized eggs or the method suggested above to prevent salmonella. – Paola

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