It's been a while since I shared a recipe for semifreddo here. But, after refining the recipes I've already shared, I think it's high time to give another one. The next recipe is for a three-ingredient chocolate variation. Yes, you read that right — only three ingredients are needed for this one.

Semifreddo revisited

To recap, semifreddo is a frozen dessert with the consistency of a mousse. That's because it's practically that; a frozen mousse.

Now a mousse is a dessert that consists of any base (chocolate, dairy, puree, etc) that's thickened with a zabaglione (egg yolks and sugar whipped together over a double boiler) and lightened with whipped cream or a meringue (egg whites and sugar whipped in an electric mixer).

Not such a simple recipe now, is it?

An even easier way

To turn it into a semifreddo, one only has to throw the mixture into a container like a loaf pan and chill it in the freezer for a few hours. Semifreddo can be served up as an alternative to an ice cream which is made similarly but is prepared in an ice cream maker instead.

It all sounds complicated and, it kinda is. However, there is a much easier way to do this. For a chocolate semifreddo, the base only needs to be cooked over a double boiler while everything else is just whipped at room temperature. This recipe can be prepared in less than 30 minutes and finished in four hours.

The recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

  1. Line the inside of a 10.5-inch loaf pan with a sheet of cling, pressing it into the sides and bottom of the pan. Set aside along with a large, flat serving plate.
  2. Pour the chocolate chips in a bowl over a saucepan filled to the 1/3 with simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk the melting chocolate until all lumps disappear.
  3. Remove the bowl containing the melted chocolate from the heat and cover the opening with cling, pushing it gently down onto the chocolate's surface to prevent skin from forming.
  4. Crack open the eggs in a bowl and transfer the yolks to another bowl. Beat the yolks together using an electric mixer until a pale and thick mixture forms, completing the beaten yolks. Transfer to another clean bowl and clean the one used.
  5. Pour the heavy cream in the same bowl used for the zabaglione and beat with the electric mixer until the cream begins to thicken. Do not overbeat or it will turn to butter.
  6. Fold the zabaglione into the melted chocolate using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until fully combined. Gradually fold the heavy cream into the chocolate in small portions until fully combined.
  7. Pour everything into the loaf pan and smooth the surface flat using the spatula or spoon. Cover the surface gently with another sheet of cling. Chill in a freezer for 4 hours or overnight. Additionally, chill the serving plate along with it.
  8. When it's time to serve, allow the semifreddo to soften at room temperature before removal. Invert the plate and place it on top of the loaf pan. Carefully flip everything over with both hands and place on a flat surface. Serve by itself or optionally with fresh or frozen fruit.

Serves: 8
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