SENSATIONAL SEMIFREDDO CAN SUIT ANY OCCASION

Here’s a nifty little recipe for a fabulous Italian dessert that you can customise to your heart’s content. Semifreddo is basically a custard-based ice-cream. The name translates as “half cold” and is usually served after removing from the freezer for a period to allow it to soften a little. There’s no reason you couldn’t dress this up for a Christmas dessert by varying the flavours; I make mine up to a week in advance and it turns out perfectly every time.

SEMIFREDDO Serves 6 INGREDIENTS

1 punnet strawberries, washed, hulled and diced 1 tsp orange blossom water or rose water 4 tbsp caster sugar, divided 3 large free-range eggs 250ml pure cream 150g mascarpone 1 tbsp marsala 2 punnets fresh raspberries, divided 100g shelled unsalted pistachios Cocoa powder, to serve

METHOD

Place strawberries in a small saucepan with orange blossom or rosewater and one tablespoon of the sugar. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool and puree in a blender or food processor.

Break eggs into a medium bowl and add the remainder of the sugar and the marsala; set over a pan of barely simmering water while beating with a portable electric beater until the ingredients are pale and fluffy and have tripled in volume, about 6–8 minutes.

Beat cream in another bowl until stiff peaks form. Beat mascarpone into cream.

Carefully fold cream mixture into custard mixture, then fold pureed strawberries in.

Pour into a silicon loaf tin and dot top with raspberries; cover with foil and freeze for at least eight hours.

To serve: Remove from freezer 10 minutes before you are serving, then unmould on to a serving plate.

Sift with cocoa and scatter with fresh raspberries and pistachios. Cut into slices and serve immediately.