Semifreddo and Frozen Mousses
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 2
Chapter 3 · Semifreddo and Frozen Mousses
Skill goal
Make four frozen desserts with a cooked meringue and whipped cream, with no churning and no raw egg.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Semifreddo means half cold. It is a frozen dessert made without churning: whipped cream folded into a cooked meringue, then frozen in a tin. The air in the meringue and the cream stays in the mix as it freezes, so it never goes hard and icy, and it slices neatly.
The method
- Cook the whites with the sugar over simmering water to about 71°C, so there is no raw egg. A thermometer is the easy way to be sure.
- Whisk until stiff and cool before folding: warm meringue melts the cream.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks only, so it folds in easily.
- Fold gently in thirds, keeping the air.
- Line the tin and freeze for at least 6 hours, then slice with a hot knife.
| Dessert | Base | Freezing time | Serve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semifreddo | Meringue and cream | 6 hours | Sliced |
| Frozen mousse | Chocolate, cream, meringue | 4 hours | In glasses |
| Parfait | Layers of semifreddo and fruit | 4 hours | In glasses |
Cooked meringue, melted chocolate and keeping
Cooked meringue: raw egg white is not used. Whisk the whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (the bowl must not touch the water) until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches about 71°C on a thermometer (general guidance), then whisk off the heat until stiff and cool. Use Lion-marked eggs, a spotlessly clean bowl, and keep steam and hot water away from your hands. Check current FSA advice if serving to pregnant women or other vulnerable people.Melted chocolate: melt it gently in a bowl over (not touching) barely simmering water, or in short microwave bursts, stirring each time. Don't let water or steam get in or it seizes into a grainy lump, and let it cool until just warm before folding into cream.
Keeping: semifreddo and frozen mousse keep covered at -18°C for up to about 2 weeks (general guidance). Slice with a knife dipped in hot water, and serve after 5 to 10 minutes' standing. Don't refreeze what has melted.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Vanilla semifreddo
'Half cold': a frozen dessert of cooked meringue and whipped cream that needs no churning. The meringue is heated until safe, so there is no raw egg, and the air in it keeps the semifreddo light and sliceable.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 3 Lion-marked egg whites
- 100 g caster sugar
- 300 ml double cream, well chilled
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 900 g loaf tin, lined
- Line the tin (see the box). Put the whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches about 71°C.
- Take off the heat and whisk (an electric whisk helps) for 4 to 5 minutes until stiff, glossy and cool.
- Whip the cream and vanilla to soft peaks. Fold a spoonful into the meringue to loosen it, then fold in the rest gently.
- Pour into the tin, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight. Lift out and slice with a knife dipped in hot water.
Cooked meringue, hot water and keeping
Cooked meringue: raw egg white is not used. Whisk the whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (the bowl must not touch the water) until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches about 71°C on a thermometer (general guidance), then whisk off the heat until stiff and cool. Use Lion-marked eggs, a spotlessly clean bowl, and keep steam and hot water away from your hands. Check current FSA advice if serving to pregnant women or other vulnerable people.Lining the tin: line a 900 g loaf tin with two sheets of cling film or baking parchment, leaving the ends hanging over so you can lift the dessert out.
Keeping: semifreddo and frozen mousse keep covered at -18°C for up to about 2 weeks (general guidance). Slice with a knife dipped in hot water, and serve after 5 to 10 minutes' standing. Don't refreeze what has melted.
Level 2 · Ripple
Raspberry ripple semifreddo
A thick, cold raspberry sauce rippled through the semifreddo gives pink streaks and a sharp contrast. As with ice cream, the sauce must be thick and chilled, and the ripple must be gentle.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 1 batch vanilla semifreddo mixture
- 200 g raspberries
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Simmer the raspberries and sugar for 5 to 6 minutes until thick, press through a sieve and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Make the vanilla semifreddo mixture. Pour a third into the lined tin, drizzle over a third of the sauce, and repeat twice.
- Draw a knife through the layers once or twice. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Cooked meringue, hot fruit and keeping
Cooked meringue: raw egg white is not used. Whisk the whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (the bowl must not touch the water) until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches about 71°C on a thermometer (general guidance), then whisk off the heat until stiff and cool. Use Lion-marked eggs, a spotlessly clean bowl, and keep steam and hot water away from your hands. Check current FSA advice if serving to pregnant women or other vulnerable people.Hot sugar syrup and custard: sugar syrup is much hotter than boiling water and sticks to skin, so keep the pan handle turned in and don't touch it. Don't let anything boil over, and keep children away from the hob.
Keeping: semifreddo and frozen mousse keep covered at -18°C for up to about 2 weeks (general guidance). Slice with a knife dipped in hot water, and serve after 5 to 10 minutes' standing. Don't refreeze what has melted.
Level 2 · Chocolate
Chocolate frozen mousse
A dense, creamy, deeply chocolatey frozen mousse. The chocolate must have cooled to just warm before folding in, or it melts the cream.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 150 g dark chocolate (about 70%), chopped
- 250 ml double cream, well chilled
- 2 Lion-marked egg whites
- 60 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- Melt the chocolate gently and cool until just warm. Make a cooked meringue from the whites and sugar and whisk until stiff and cool.
- Whip the cream and vanilla to soft peaks. Fold a third of the cream into the chocolate to loosen it, then fold in the rest of the cream and then the meringue gently.
- Spoon into six small glasses or ramekins and freeze for at least 4 hours. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Chocolate, meringue and allergens
Melted chocolate: melt it gently in a bowl over (not touching) barely simmering water, or in short microwave bursts, stirring each time. Don't let water or steam get in or it seizes into a grainy lump, and let it cool until just warm before folding into cream.Cooked meringue: raw egg white is not used. Whisk the whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (the bowl must not touch the water) until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches about 71°C on a thermometer (general guidance), then whisk off the heat until stiff and cool. Use Lion-marked eggs, a spotlessly clean bowl, and keep steam and hot water away from your hands. Check current FSA advice if serving to pregnant women or other vulnerable people.
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Level 3 · Layers
A layered frozen parfait
Layers of crushed biscuit, berries and semifreddo in a glass: a quick, impressive dessert. Freeze each glass for an hour between layers if you want clean stripes.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 batch vanilla semifreddo mixture, or raspberry ripple mixture
- 8 plain biscuits (such as digestives), crushed
- 200 g mixed berries, washed (or cooked and cooled)
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 4 tall glasses
- Toss the berries with the sugar and leave for 10 minutes. Put a spoonful of biscuit crumbs in the bottom of each glass.
- Add a layer of semifreddo mixture, then berries, then more mixture. Freeze for 1 hour between layers if you want sharp lines.
- Top with a few crumbs and a berry. Freeze for at least 4 hours, then stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Cooked meringue, fruit, allergens and small children
Cooked meringue: raw egg white is not used. Whisk the whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (the bowl must not touch the water) until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches about 71°C on a thermometer (general guidance), then whisk off the heat until stiff and cool. Use Lion-marked eggs, a spotlessly clean bowl, and keep steam and hot water away from your hands. Check current FSA advice if serving to pregnant women or other vulnerable people.Fruit: wash fresh fruit before use. If you use frozen berries, heat them until boiling and simmer for a minute before using them cold, as is usual UK advice for frozen berries (general guidance: check the pack).
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Small children: hard lumps, frozen fruit pieces and nuts can be a choking risk for very young children, so keep pieces small and sit with them while they eat.
Experiments
Experiment
Meringue temperature
Warm or cool when folded.
- Fold the cream into a meringue straight after whisking while still slightly warm, and into one that has cooled completely.
Look for: The warm meringue melts the cream and makes a thinner, heavier mixture. The cool one stays light and fluffy. Always cool it.
Experiment
Folding speed
Gentle or hard.
- Fold one batch gently with a spatula and stir another vigorously.
Look for: The gently folded batch is tall and airy; the stirred one is flat, dense and wet. Fold, don't stir.
Experiment
Freezing time
4, 6 or 12 hours.
- Test a small portion of the semifreddo after 4, 6 and 12 hours.
Look for: At 4 hours it is soft and won't slice; at 6 it slices; at 12 it is firm and best stood a few minutes. Plan overnight freezing.
Experiment
Slicing temperature
Cold knife or hot.
- Slice the semifreddo with a dry cold knife and with one dipped in hot water and wiped dry.
Look for: The hot knife makes a clean, smooth cut; the cold one drags and cracks. Dip and wipe between slices.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla semifreddo | ||||
| Raspberry ripple | ||||
| Chocolate frozen mousse | ||||
| Layered parfait | ||||
| Meringue temperature | ||||
| Folding speed | ||||
| Freezing time | ||||
| Slicing |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, heavy semifreddo | Over-mixed or warm meringue | Cool the meringue; fold gently |
| Icy | Whisked too little, or stored too long | Whisk until stiff; eat within 2 weeks |
| Grainy chocolate | Chocolate seized | Keep water away; start again with fresh chocolate |
| Meringue won't whip | Greasy bowl or yolk in the whites | Use a spotless bowl; separate carefully |
| Hard to slice | Too cold or a cold knife | Stand 5 to 10 minutes; use a hot knife |
| Sauce disappeared | Too thin or warm | Thicken and chill; ripple once or twice |
Cooked meringue, chocolate and keeping
Cooked meringue: raw egg white is not used. Whisk the whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (the bowl must not touch the water) until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches about 71°C on a thermometer (general guidance), then whisk off the heat until stiff and cool. Use Lion-marked eggs, a spotlessly clean bowl, and keep steam and hot water away from your hands. Check current FSA advice if serving to pregnant women or other vulnerable people.Melted chocolate: melt it gently in a bowl over (not touching) barely simmering water, or in short microwave bursts, stirring each time. Don't let water or steam get in or it seizes into a grainy lump, and let it cool until just warm before folding into cream.
Keeping: semifreddo and frozen mousse keep covered at -18°C for up to about 2 weeks (general guidance). Slice with a knife dipped in hot water, and serve after 5 to 10 minutes' standing. Don't refreeze what has melted.
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can cook egg whites and sugar to a safe temperature.
- I can whip cream to soft peaks and fold it in gently.
- I can fold melted chocolate into a mousse.
- I can line a tin and slice a frozen dessert cleanly.
- I know there is no raw egg in these recipes.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 2, chapter 4 is Ice Cream Cakes and Frozen Bakes: layered cakes, a frozen cheesecake and baked Alaska.