As a young bride married to a Sicilian man, my delightful friend Adriana Marino from Napoli settled in Puglia years ago. Adriana is the mother of the only other man I ever got close to marrying – and she’s also the best Southern Italian chef I know. Her mad stove skills and unparalleled knowledge of the subject matter were a pivotal part of how close I got to saying "yes" to her son. I rarely get to eat her food nowadays, but when I do, I still wonder why it didn't work out.
And while love may come and go, friendship stays. To this day, Adriana remains one of my most significant culinary inspirations. Today’s recipe is among the many she gifted me when we first met over 30 years ago, and after years of tweaking and adapting it to my American kitchen, it’s still one of the best desserts I make – and by far the easiest.
Viola Buitoni in action
Semifreddo – meaning ‘half-frozen’ in Italian – is a non-baker’s best friend, and a dessert that never goes unappreciated. Moreover – similar to its fancier cousin, gelato – semifreddo can be made with fresh fruit or cream-based flavors, which you can change according to the season or mood you’re in. But it takes way less time than gelato to make it. Plus, you won’t need all that pricey churning equipment, either.
The recipe I inherited from Adriana is my favorite to serve during the fall season, and it features the most important flavor of Italian pastry-making: amaretti. You read that right – while we might think of amaretti strictly as cookies in the US, we like to use them as ingredients for cakes, tarts and custards in Italy, as well.
Amaretti
It’s also better to use plain amaretti (instead of the variety with sugar pearls on top) because some of the pre-packaged brands skew the flavor towards excess sweetness. If you can’t find the plain variety, simply brush off the sugar pearls and reduce the sugar in the semifreddo recipe by 1 tablespoon. The original liqueur in the recipe is San Marzano Borsci, an elixir made in Taranto, which is balanced yet intense, and used in pastry recipes for its remarkable depth of flavor. Since it isn’t readily available in the States, I use dark rum as a substitute, but should you have access to it, do use it.
Buon appetito!
Amaretti & Espresso Semifreddo by Viola Buitoni
Serves 6 to 8 people
Ingredients:
½ cup strong espresso
2 tablespoons rum
150 grams (5 oz) amaretti cookies, plus 4-5 to garnish
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
300 ml whipping cream (about 1 ¼ cups)
Method:
Line a 1 quart loaf pan with 2 strips of baking parchment – one long strip to cover the bottom and a second, larger strip on top, with the edges overhanging by about 2-3 inches on each side.
Stir the liquor into the espresso. Crumble the amaretti cookies (150 grams) and pour the coffee over them. Let sit until the amaretti are completely soaked and softened. Then use a fork to mash into a paste.
Crushing amaretti
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Stir in the amaretti-espresso paste and mix until the color is as uniform as possible.
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form and pour about 1/4 of it into the amaretti-egg mixture. Stir to loosen. Then add the rest of the cream and fold it in carefully to avoid dismantling the batter.
Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and gently bang the pan on the counter so that the mixture settles well. Fold the baking parchment over the top. Seal well with plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Leave in the freezer to harden completely. Note that semifreddo is best made the day before so it freezes completely.
Before serving, let the semifreddo sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly while crumbling the remaining amaretti. Unwrap the semifreddo and turn it out onto a platter. Carefully remove the baking parchment and decorate with the crumbled amaretti. Serve immediately.
Note that this recipe can be made in single-portion sizes following the exact same steps. All you need to change is the softening time: It takes only 2-3 minutes to soften the semifreddo instead of the usual 7-9 minutes for larger sizes.
Amaretti & Espresso Semifreddo by Viola Buitoni
Watch Viola Buitoni making semifreddo on our Instagram account @lacucinaitalianausa - Highlights section #HomeCookingLCI