Our family, like so many, divide the responsibilities of making a holiday meal. This year we were lucky to be assigned the dessert. We wanted to make something spring like with chocolate (of course!) We chose a semifreddo which in Italian means "half cold" or semi-frozen dessert. This recipe came from "The Golden Book of Chocolate" by Barron's.
According to Wikipedia: Semifreddo (Italian: "half cold") is a class of semi-frozen desserts, typically ice-cream cakes, semi-frozen custards, and certain fruit tarts. It has the texture of frozen mousse because it is usually produced by uniting two equal parts of ice cream and whipped cream. Such a dessert's Spanish counterpart is called semifrío. In Italian cuisine, the Semifreddo is commonly made with gelato as a primary ingredient. It is typical of the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
This recipe called for ricotta cheese. The ricotta cheese cuts down on the sweetness and makes the dessert more refreshing after eating a heavy meal. We have been making our own ricotta cheese and the recipe for that follows below.
Chocolate & Coconut Semifreddo
Serves 4-6
Prep: 25 min + 4 hours to freeze
Ingredients
1 tsp orange flower water
1 1/4 c fresh ricotta cheese drained
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c shredded coconut
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 oz semisweet (dark) chocolate chopped
2 c heavy cream
2 kiwi fruit
2 star fruit
1 ripe mango
8-10 fresh strawberries
Directions
Dampen a half sheet of parchment paper with the orange flower water. Use the paper to line a 9x5 inch (23x13cm) loaf pan.
Process the ricotta, sugar, coconut, and vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
Beat the heavy cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until stiff. Then carefully fold into the ricotta mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 4 hours.
Cut the kiwi, star, and strawberries into thin slices. Cut the mango into thin segments. Turn the semifreddo out onto a serving platter and decorate with the cut fruit. Serve in thick slices.
Homemade Ricotta
The best ricotta cheese is homemade because it is fresh! Yes, sure it probably costs a little more than buying some processed cheese at the supermarket. But, believe me when I tell you that you will enjoy it so much more. When we first started making our own ricotta we would use regular store bought milk which made a pretty nice product. Well, this last foray into ricotta making, we used milk from Calder Brothers Dairy (a small independent dairy in Carleton, MI) who produces a higher fat milk. It was so creamy. More creamy than previous attempts and the flavor was just incredible! The recipe that follows is from a cookbook by Michael Chiarello. He states that the yield will depend on the butterfat content of the milk. He also suggests that you might want to search out extra-rich milk and after this last batch, I am now a believer.
Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk
1 quart buttermilk
a good thermometer
Select a sieve or a colander with a wide surface area so the curds will cool quickly. Rinse a large piece of cheesecloth or muslin with cold water, then fold it so that is at least 6 layers thick. Arrange it in the sieve or colander placed in the sink.
Pour the milk and buttermilk into a large, non-reactive saucepan or pot. Place over high heat and heat stirring the mixture frequently with a rubber spatula making sure to scrape the whole pan bottom to prevent scorching. Once the mixture is warm, stop stirring. As the milk heats, curds will begin to rise and clump on the surface. As the curds begin to form, gently scrape the bottom of the pan with the spatula to release any stuck curds.
When the mixture reaches 175º to 180º F, the curds and whey will separate. The whey looks like cloudy water underneath a mass of thick white curds on the surface. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Working from the side of the pan, gently ladle the whey into the prepared sieve. Go slowly so as not to break up the curds. Finaly, ladle the curds into the sieve. Lift the sides of the cloth to help the liquid drain. Don’t press on the cloth. When the draining slows, gather the edges of the cloth, tie into a bag and hang from the faucet.Drain intil the dripping stops, about 15 min.
Untie the bag and pack in airtight containers. Refrigerate and use within a 1 week.
Makes about 4 cups
