A Forgotten Gem

When I think about the many successful desserts that I made prior to starting this blog, I debate whether or not it would be valid to write about them. Although I am proud of a multitude of them, there are only a handful that I feel are worthy to write about. That being said, I am rewinding all the way back to Christmas Day, where I made a Semifreddo. I had made a Semifreddo before, and fell IN LOVE with the texture, and versatility of flavor pairings. This recipe, came from an old Gourmet magazine from June of 2008. Although I usually try not to serve any form of frozen, or ice-cream dessert in the winter, I felt unable to help myself with this. The dessert is titled "Stracciatella Cake with Espresso Fudge Sauce". After a ham, and the most wonderful vegetables bathed and roasted in the ham's decadent juices, this dessert topped of the lovely Christmas meal.

I decided to start this dessert two days early, so that I could thoroughly freeze the cake, and have time to leisurely prepare my Christmas Day dessert. I couldn't find amaretti cookies anywhere in my area, so for the crust of the cake, I used anise flavored biscotti which worked beautifully. For the frozen part, it is a decadent emulsion of eggs, sugar, chocolate, and cream. The crust is packed into a loaf pan, and draped with the filling. The dessert has to freeze for quite sometime, but never manages to get hard like ice cream. Instead, the filling is lusciously creamy, and the crust crunchy, and distinct in flavor. The dessert is served with the most rich, and thick espresso fudge sauce. The warm sauce, which is slightly bitter and not too sweet, contrasts greatly with the cool semifreddo.

This dessert is wonderful all year round, but especially striking for special occasions. It is also easily plated, and appears effortlessly elegant. Despite the fact that I made this quite some time ago, I couldn't bear not to mention it, because it is truly a classic.