Chocolate-Almond Semifreddo is a great summer dessert in that it requires very little heating. Also, it’s easier than ice cream because it doesn’t need to be churned. The word semifreddo in Italian literally means half cold or in this case half frozen. You’ll enjoy the mousse-like texture, much lighter than ice cream. For some background on semifreddo, click here.

Here some of my other frozen desserts: Frozen Lime Pie; Grapefruit Sherbet; Pink Lemonade Pie.

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Line two 8 1⁄2 x 4 1⁄2 x 2 1⁄2-inch loaf pans with enough plastic wrap that there are flaps hanging over the sides.

Place the almonds on a baking sheet, and roast in a 350° oven for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until very lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and let them cool.

Place the cooled almonds in the bowl of a food processor along with 2 tablespoons of sugar removed from the 1 1⁄4 cups of sugar. Pulse the mixture several times, then process until you get very finely ground almonds.

Add 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter at room temperature to the almonds, and continue to process until a paste is formed.

Because the Chocolate-Almond Semifreddo is made with few ingredients, it’s necessary to use top-quality chocolate. My choice is for Lindt 70% Cocoa bars.

 

Also, 3 bars equal the required amount for the recipe. Chop the chocolate, and place it in a small saucepan along with the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, over another kettle of simmering water. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. When cool, scrape it into a large mixing bowl. Then stir in the almond extract and the nut mixture. until well combined.

Continue to stir the mixture until it is well combined. It will have a ground-nut texture.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the room-temperature egg whites, the remaining sugar, and the pinch of salt. Beat the mixture by hand with a whisk for a minute or so until well combined. Place the mixture over, not in, a larger kettle of simmering water. Continue beating with the whisk until the mixture reaches 140°, which should take only a few minutes. This is the base for a Swiss Meringue.

Move the bowl to your stand mixture with a wire whip beater. Beat the mixture on high speed until it forms a thick meringue. Continue to beat until it is cooled, 10-20 minutes.

While the meringue is still beating, whip the heavy cream in a chilled bowl with the rum until soft peaks are formed.

Stir in 1⁄4 of the heavy cream into the chocolate-nut mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining cream.

When the meringue is cooled, fold in 1⁄4 of it into the mixture, then fold in the remaining meringue until all white spots are gone.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pans, folding over the flaps of plastic. Then cover with another sheet of plastic to be certain the semifreddo is completely enclosed.

Freeze the semifreddo over night. It will keep in the freezer for several weeks.

I like to remove the pans from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving.  Straight out of the freezer, the Chocolate-Almond Semifreddo is too hard. But remember it softens to a mousse-like texture rather quickly, so don’t let it defrost beyond that stage.

Remove the top layer of plastic, invert the pan onto a tray or platter, and carefully peel off the remaining plastic. You can decorate the loaf with almonds or shaved chocolate. To serve, slice the Chocolate-Almond Semifreddo about 1⁄2-inch thick.

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