Dark Chocolate Semifreddo
By Joe
Source: America's Test Kitchen.
A deep, dark chocolate semifreddo lifted with espresso, set in a loaf tin and sliced straight from the freezer.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Prepare. Lightly spray the 23 x 13 cm loaf tin with oil spray and line with cling film leaving an 8 cm overhang. Put the 225 g dark chocolate in the large heatproof bowl and place the fine sieve over it.
- 2
Dissolve. Stir the 1 tbsp vanilla and ½ tsp instant espresso powder together in the small bowl until the powder dissolves.
- 3
Whisk. Whisk the 3 eggs, 65 g caster sugar and ¼ tsp fine salt in the medium bowl. Heat 120 ml of the cream with the 60 ml water until simmering, then pour it slowly into the eggs, whisking all the time.
- 4
Cook. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring and scraping the base constantly, until slightly thickened and 71-74 °C, about 5 min. Do not let it simmer.
- 5
Melt. Pour the hot custard straight through the sieve onto the chocolate, let it stand for 5 min, then whisk smooth and stir in the vanilla mixture before cooling for about 15 min.
- 6
Whip. Whip the remaining 360 ml chilled double cream in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment on low for 30 s, medium for 30 s, and high for 30-45 s to soft peaks.
- 7
Freeze. Whisk a third of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, gently fold in the rest until no streaks remain, spread into the tin, fold the film over, and freeze for at least 6 h.
- 8
Serve. Invert the semifreddo onto a board, peel off the film, slice 2 cm thick using a hot dry knife, and serve straight away.
Storage
Wrap well and keep in the freezer up to 2 weeks; slice straight from the freezer with a hot, dry knife.
Caffeine · Free sugars
- Per serving: about 1 mg caffeine (serving: 1 of 12 servings). Source: 0.5 g instant coffee/espresso powder × USDA FDC SR Legacy #171893 (instant coffee powder, 3142 mg/100 g); divided by 12 servings.
- Scaling: making more servings does not change the caffeine in each serving; what counts is how many servings you drink in a day. 1 serving: 1 mg · 2 servings: 2 mg · 3 servings: 3 mg · 4 servings: 4 mg.
- General guideline: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015): for healthy adults, up to 200 mg in a single dose and up to 400 mg per day do not raise safety concerns. 1 serving = 0 % of 400 mg. EFSA
10 g per serving
20 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 40 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 23 x 13 cm loaf tin
- oil spray
- cling film
- large heatproof bowl
- fine sieve
- small bowl
- medium bowl
- whisk
- saucepan
- instant-read thermometer
- stand mixer with whisk
- silicone spatula
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 290 kcal |
| Protein | 4.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.4 g |
| of which sugars | 11.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 10 g |
| Fat | 23.6 g |
| of which saturates | 14.2 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Salt | 0.2 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.4 g High protein needs ≥ 5 g per 100 kcal (20% of energy) and ≥ 10 g per serving
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
