| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for greasing the pan
- 4 extra-large eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla liqueur (optional)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Fresh Raspberry Sauce (recipe follows)
- Fresh blueberries, for serving
- 1 half-pint fresh raspberries (6 ounces)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup good raspberry preserves (6 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur
Instructions
- Lightly oil an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2-inch loaf pan and line it as neatly as possible with plastic wrap, allowing enough to drape over the sides to later cover the top. (I lay two pieces of plastic wrap across the pan, overlapping in the middle.) Place the pan in the freezer.
- Put the egg yolks (reserve 1/3 cup of the egg whites and discard or save the rest for another use), 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla seeds in a medium heatproof bowl and beat with a handheld mixer fitted with the beater attachment for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and beat the mixture continually for 3 minutes, until doubled in volume and warm to the touch. Off the heat, beat the mixture for 1 minute.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the reserved egg whites, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the cream of tartar and beat on high speed until the whites form firm but not dry peaks. Fold the egg whites into the egg mixture with a rubber spatula.
- Without washing the mixer or whisk, pour the heavy cream, vanilla liqueur (if using) and vanilla into the bowl and beat on high speed until it forms soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream carefully but thoroughly into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Place the raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
- Pour the mixture and the preserves into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Stir in the framboise and chill.
- To unmold, dip the pan in a bowl of hot tap water for 8 to 10 seconds and turn the semifreddo upside down onto a rectangular serving plate. Peel off the plastic wrap. (You can cover and refreeze the semifreddo for a few hours on the serving plate.) Pour several tablespoons of raspberry sauce on each dessert plate, cut 1-inch-thick slices of the semifreddo and place them in the center of the sauce. Sprinkle each serving with blueberries and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 345 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 40 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 138 mg |
| Sodium | 56 mg |
Reviews
This is a wonderful make ahead summer desert! It’s my go-to for company in the hot summer months. It’s definitely worth the slightly complicated process. It’s turned out perfect every time and I get nothing but rave reviews!
Needed an easy raspberry sauce to serve over pound cake, and this was a winner! Quick and tasty. I did put it through a fine mesh strainer to eliminate seeds-not cool in my family
Loved this! I’m serving it again for the Fourth of July!
Excellent. The only challenge is to serve it quickly enough on a scorching summer day! I might opt to serve in June when it is a little cooler but that may depend where you live.
Super yummy dessert! And very pretty too. Since, it seems, we can never have enough of it, I doubled the recipe when I made it tonight. Thanks, Ina!