Deborah Lo Scalzo Recipe ⤏ Coffee Semifreddo

Semifreddo is a classic Italian dessert (semifreddo al caffè) that is as beautiful to look at as it tastes. You can skip the nuts for a nut-free version. Serve the semifreddo with whipped cream, cocoa powder or grated chocolate, and cookie crumbs.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup strong brewed coffee
• 6 ½ tablespoons white sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 3 ½ ounces mascarpone cheese
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons crushed candied walnuts, or to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Combine coffee and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally so sugar does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until frothy. Add sweetened coffee 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously to prevent egg yolks from curdling.
3. Place bowl on top of a pot with simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Continue whisking vigorously until mixture thickens and gets creamy, 4 to 6 minutes.
4. Remove bowl from heat and place over a bowl of ice; whisk until cooled. Fold in mascarpone cheese.
5. Beat cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir 2 tablespoons of whipped cream into the coffee mixture to thin it out. Fold in remaining cream carefully with a spatula until just combined. Fold in walnuts.
6. Pour mixture into 4 serving or ice cream glasses and freeze until firm, at least 5 hours.

Nutrition Facts

• calories578.9
• carbohydrateContent24.4 g
• cholesterolContent409 mg
• fatContent51.9 g
• fiberContent0.2 g
• proteinContent7.3 g
• saturatedFatContent28.9 g
• sodiumContent58 mg
• sugarContent21 g