Italy Part 13

Two Desserts Are Better Than One

I had previously made the Almond Semifreddo and still had some leftovers in the freezer when I decided to also make the Macerated oranges. As it just so happens, these two desserts go wonderfully together!

Almond Semifreddo (p. 142)

Macerated oranges (p. 143)

Two desserts are better than one!
You may also want to try topping semifreddo with chocolate syrup, amaretto- or
orange-flavored liqueur, fresh fruit and crushed candied almonds,
or as I discovered here, sweet soaked orange slices. 

Making semifreddo requires a bit of time and patience but after the preparation, it stores well in the freezer for future meals or afternoon snack attacks. The reason I say this is because there are three different liquid mixtures that require separate prepertation and then careful combining: 1) cream that needs to be whipped stiff, 2) egg yolks and sugar that are whipped and then the amaretto, toasted almonds and crushed biscuits are stirred into it, 3) egg whites that are whipped stiff, and lastly, the cream and egg whites are carefully folded into the yolk mixture. Thank goodness I located my electric beaters!

Use a bread pan for the freezer container to put the semifreddo batter into,
but first it must be lined with plastic wrap with extra draped over the edges.

The semifreddo batter is ready to be "freddo" in the freezer.
Once the batter is placed into the plastic wrap-lined bread tin, it can be frozen for weeks.
You could also put your batter into other shaped containers if you want a round shape, for example.
Or skip the plastic wrap lining and place it into individual serving dishes.
Remember, this dessert is called "kinda cold" for a reason, so before consuming it
straight out of the freezer, place it into the refrigerator to soften (about half and hour). 

Macerated is a fancy word for softened via the process of soaking.
In this case, oranges were peeled and each delicate segment was carefully
sliced out of the membrane, letting the juice collect in a bowl.
Sugar, and a dash of grated lemon peel and lemon juice were mixed into the
orange juice and then the orange slices were mixed and allowed
to marinade until tender and soft. Nice treat on its own or top with Cointreau!