The tiramisu semifreddo is creative, delicious version of tiramisu, using ladyfingers, coffee, mascarpone and cream… an elegant way to end a special meal! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English) http://itunes.apple.com/app/giallozafferano-recipes/id384387249?mt=8
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The first thing to do is to steep the coffee beans in the heavy cream; in this way, the ice cream absorbs the flavour of the coffee but does not change colour. Cover with cling film in contact with the cream and place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. Or let it steep overnight, for a stronger aroma.
Move on to the Italian meringue: put all but a couple of tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan; add the water and heat until the syrup reaches 250°F (121°C): when it reaches about 238°F (114°-115°C), beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a stand mixer with whisk attachment; as they start to turn white, beat in the reserved sugar and continue to beat. Once the egg whites are stiff and the syrup is at 250°F (121°C), add the syrup to the egg whites in a thin stream and continue to beat until the meringue feels cool to the touch.
The meringue is done; strain the coffee beans from the cream and beat until soft peaks form; here’s a way to avoid getting dirty! Soften the mascarpone cheese in a bowl, then fold into the meringue. And now, the whipped cream. Stir gently to avoid deflating the mixture. Take a loaf pan: mine is 10 by 4 ¾ inches (26×12 cm) and 2 ¾ inches (7 cm) deep. Fill it to the top. Even it out with a spatula. Place in the freezer for half an hour, to allow it to set.
Brew the coffee and let it cool; pour into a bowl, in which we’ll dip the ladyfingers. Before that, take the semifreddo ice cream out of the freezer. Place the ladyfingers on top, so they will end up on the bottom, once inverted. Make sure not to soak the ladyfingers for too long, or they will fall apart. Perfect, all that’s left to do is place the mould in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Now I’ll make chocolate curls for garnish, so heat the dark chocolate in the microwave for a few seconds and shave into curls with a potato peeler, it’s very easy!
It’s time to unmould the semifreddo, how? Invert onto a serving dish; after that, you can heat the mold with a blow torch or dip in boiling water for one second. Run a knife around the inside edge… and that’s it; you can smooth out any imperfections with a spatula or a knife, in this way. Now arrange the chocolate curls all over the top. And while I’m finishing off the dessert, let’s see together the ingredients needed for this recipe.
Ingredients
for a 10×4 ¾-inch (26×12 cm) loaf pan
For the Italian meringue
– ¼ cup (60 ml) of water
– 1 ⅓ cups (270 g) of white sugar
– ⅓ cup (85 g) of egg whites
For the semifreddo
– 1 ½ cups (340 ml) of heavy cream
– 5 ¾ tbsp (40 g) of coffee beans
– 2 ½ cups (570 g) of mascarpone cheese
– 9 ladyfingers
For soaking
– coffee, as needed
– 1 tsp of sugar
For garnishing
– 3,5 oz (100 g) of dark chocolate