It’s finally December! My favourite month of the year :D. It’s the month of Christmas, my birthday and New Year’s Eve. All of that in a month, lol. And since Christmas is just around the corner, I want to start to give you ideas that you can make for dinner (or lunch). It’s such a special meal where we gather with our loved ones to celebrate the year that has passed and the year to come. This Christmas semifreddo is perfect for a summer Christmas (like the ones we have in the Southern Hemisphere) where we need something fresh to wrap up our dinner.
Even if a cold dessert isn’t as conventional for Christmas, it’s perfect because many times it’s hot at Christmas nights. Having said that. it has so many Christmas flavours in it that it’s like eating a bite of Christmas itself. This Christmas semifreddo has spices, raisins, almonds and walnuts, which makes it super special. Also, it doesn’t take long to make and you can make it up to two days before serving.
I love how it looks with the raisins, walnuts and almonds that I added on top and then dusted with icing sugar. I feel like icing sugar is the utmost Christmas ingredient because it makes everything look like snow fell on them, lol. Also, it’s a lovely dessert to watch on your Christmas table. If you need more Christmas recipes, head over to my Christmas section. There you’ll find turkey, salad, dessert, cookies and more.
The texture of this semifreddo is delicious and melts in your mouth. That’s in part because of the air that’s inside the mix, so be careful to use folding motions when mixing to keep as much air in as possible. On the other hand, finding bits of almonds, walnuts and raisins is extremely pleasant. The spices in the mix are what makes it so Christmasy. You can add more or change them as you like. Also, if you only want to use almonds, walnuts or change them for pecans, it’s completely fine as well. You can even skip the raisins or just use one type.
Christmas Semifreddo with Almonds, Walnuts and Raisins
Print Pin RateIngredients
For the semifreddo
- 4 egg yolks
- 60 ml water
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or seeds from 1 vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla extract, or 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 40 g almonds
- 40 g walnuts
- 30 g golden raisins chopped
- 30 g regular raisins chopped
- 250 ml whipping cream cold (whip it with 4 tbsp icing sugar if you're skipping the raisins)
To garnish
- almonds, walnuts and raisins chopped
- icing sugar
Instructions
For the semifreddo
- Roast the almonds and walnuts in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 5-8 minutes or until they're lightly golden. Once cold, chop them.
- Line a 22x11cm bread pan with baking papel. Cut it to the size of the pan and stick it in place with a bit of vegetable oil, spread with kitchen paper.
- Place the egg yolks in a bowl to beat them and start beating on low speed just so that they don't form a dry skin on top.
- Boil the water and sugar over medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve completely and then boil profusely. Once you reach that point (the syrup doesn't have to thicken), start beating the egg yolks on high speed and add the syrup down the side of the bowl.
- Keep beating the egg yolks on high speed until the mix increases in volume and cools down to room temperature. Add the nuts and raisins and mix them in using a spatula and folding motions.
- In a clean bowl, whip up the cream until foamy and glossy, not totally firm. Mix it with the egg yolk mix using folding motions.
- Pour the mix into the pan and freeze for at least 8 hours.
To garnish
- Use the paper to lift the semifreddo from the pan. Unstick the paper from the sides and return it to the pan. Flip it over the dish you'll use to serve the dessert. If you didn't line the pan with paper, then dip the pan in warm water (not hot) for a few seconds and then flip it.
- Garnish with chopped almonds, walnuts and raisins and dust with icing sugar.
