Semifreddo with Honey Roasted Pistachios & Fig Jam
Semifreddo is ice cream's sliceable cousin. Meaning "half-frozen" in Italian, semifreddo is fully frozen, but the texture is soft and creamy, melting into delicious pools almost immediately after slicing. In this recipe, Greek yogurt adds delicate tang while honey roasted pistachios add texture and sophistication. Simple to make and easy to share, semifreddo will be in your rotation all summer long. The hardest part is waiting 8 hours for the semifreddo to set. If you're short on time, you can use a muffin pan to make individual semifreddos, which freeze in 2 hours.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole pistachios, like Pariani Sicilian Pistachios
- 1 tablespoon honey, like Frantoio Grove Orange Blossom Honey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon M. Gilles Hervey Fleur de Sel
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 8 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup full fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, like LAFAZA Organic Madagascar Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 jar fig jam
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Place honey in microwave for 10 seconds until it is runny, then drizzle over pistachios. Next, drizzle olive oil over pistachios and mix well. Roast pistachios on a sheet tray in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the nuts just start to take on color. Remove pistachios from oven and sprinkle with fleur de sel while they are still hot. Set pistachios aside and allow to cool completely.
Remove fig jam from jar and place in a small bowl, stirring well to “loosen” it, so it's easier to work with.
In a mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, Greek yogurt, vanilla and kosher salt. Set aside.
In a metal bowl (or with a stand mixer), whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form, roughly 5 minutes.
Gently mix one cup of the whipped cream into the bowl with the condensed milk-yogurt mixture. Then, add this mixture to the remaining whipped cream, being careful not to deflate the cream. Fold until combined, some streaks are fine.
Line a 9"x5" loaf pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap, so that the paper or plastic generously hangs over on the sides. This will make it easier to remove the frozen semifreddo from the pan.
Place half of the cooled pistachios at the bottom of the pan. Then, add half of the cream mixture into the pan. Gently dollop and swirl in the fig jam onto the cream mixture. Place remaining cream mixture over jam layer, then smooth the top and add remaining pistachios. Cover with overhanging parchment or plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 8 hours.
When ready to serve, pull the semifreddo from the loaf pan and place onto a serving dish, removing the plastic wrap or parchment paper. You may need to run a chef's knife warmed under hot water along the edges of the loaf pan to loosen it. Use the same warm knife to slice the semifreddo into ½ inch portions.