When I was a child and I ate this Chestnut semifreddo, made by the very skilled hands of my aunt Irene (who plays a big part in my love for cooking), I thought it was extraordinary and very complicated… and I wondered when they would give me an ice cream maker so I could make it too…. only to discover years and years later that, not only do you not need an ice cream maker to make semifreddo, but making semifreddo is very easy and very quick!
I made it recently at a lunch in the countryside with friends, on a Sunday when Nico and I had offered to cook the whole lunch for about twenty people. So I knew I didn’t have much time to dedicate to dessert, among all the other things to do at the same time. So I remembered the semifreddo al Marron Glacèe and after a reconnaissance on the internet and a call to my beloved inspiring aunt and I decided to try…
I’m not going to tell you about the success… there’s a friend of ours Barbara, who doesn’t really like sweets, who every time we meet asks me about the semifreddo, if by chance I brought some with me, when I’ll publish the recipe on the site… because Barbara, in the semifreddo al Marron Glacèe, left her heart there. So dear Barbara, here’s the recipe for you:
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 500 ml of cream
- 180 g of sugar
- 1 jar of chestnut jam
Decoration
- dark chocolate
- crushed meringues
- small pieces of Marron glacèe.
Separate the yolks from the whites and put them in two separate containers (preferably quite high)
Beat the yolks with the sugar using an electric whisk (or by hand, but it will take much longer) until the mixture becomes light, soft and frothy. If you lift the whisk, the mixture must be able to “write”.
Whip the egg whites until stiff. Whip the cream.
At this point, take a large container, capable of holding all three compounds. Then add the whipped egg yolks and the jar of chestnut jam, mixing slowly, until you obtain a smooth mixture.
At this point, very delicately incorporate the cream and finally the whipped egg whites, taking care to mix with a wooden spoon from the bottom up very slowly to avoid the egg whites from deflating. You will obtain a very frothy mixture and a light beige color. At this point, if you want, mix the pieces of marron glacèe into the mixture.
At this point, line a mold – I recommend the long and rectangular one – or many molds with cling film (you can skip this step if you use silicone molds) and pour the mixture up to the brim. Cover again with cling film and put in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours. If you want, put it in the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
Decoration: when serving I recommend crumbling a meringue on top and pouring in some melted dark chocolate in a bain-marie. The chocolate will solidify immediately when in contact with the cold, becoming cold and crunchy.
SUMMER VARIATION:
In summer, the chestnut semifreddo is a bit too autumnal, but you can adapt the recipe by replacing the chestnut jam with peach or apricot jam (better if homemade), which has a fresh flavor.
In the recipe above, replace only the jam.
Decoration: you can decorate it with caramelized almonds/praline and tufts of whipped cream
