Daim bar semifreddo which was actually meant to be pistachio.
I don’t own an ice-cream maker. In fact my kitchen is rather lacking in the gadget department and most things are done by hand. I have a food processor that I use nowhere near as much as I could (mainly because cleaning it is tedious and I can think of a hundred other things I’d prefer to be doing than that), a mini chopper that I love and a blender for those all important milkshakes.
I know you can make ice-cream without a machine but my tendency to lose focus means that I’d more than likely forget when I was meant to be giving it a whisk. Semifreddo seems to be my answer for now though.
Semifreddo (half cold in Italian) is something that I’ve been meaning to try my hand at for a while now. My original plan had been for a pistachio version but, it being rather close to payday, meant that the price of the pistachios I looked at would have required me hitting the bank for an extension on our overdraft. Left with that ‘what now’ feeling I ran through some options. Fruit was a possibility, honey I already had at home so could have gone with that, chocolate, coconut…
With time running out and my lift home getting impatient, I grabbed two of the nearest things – Toblerone and Daim bars (Is it just me that hears the “Daim. Bar” phrase from the advert in their heads whenever they see one?). As I was relieved of the Toblerone as I walked through the front door my decision was made for me.
Whilst I was perusing recipes, it seemed that both the ingredients and method vary slightly from recipe to recipe so I ended up with a mish mash of what I thought would work in my kitchen. I have no idea if this is the basic recipe for me but it produced a very acceptable pudding after Sunday lunch. I see more (much more) semifreddo in my future so will be able to have a real play with the flavourings and the recipe itself.
Daim bar semifreddo
75g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
450ml double cream
6 x 28g daim bars, broken – 5 bars to be folded through, 1 bar for sprinkling on top before serving
Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line with cling film.
Give the Daim bars a few whacks with a rolling pin to break them into small pieces. Reserve one bar for sprinkling over the end result.
Whip the cream in a bowl until it reaches the soft peak stage.
Place the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and, over a pan of simmering water, whisk until pale, thick and double in volume. If you have an electric whisk then use it. If not, then grab a balloon whisk, stick on some music and keep going.
Once thick, take the bowl off the saucepan and carry on whisking until the mixture is cold. You may find it easier to sit the bowl in some cold water whilst you’re whisking, to speed things along a little.
Fold the egg mixture and Daim bars into the whipped cream. Use a metal spoon so you lose as little air as possible. Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Freeze for around 3 hours, or it can be made in advance.
Once ready to serve, remove from the freezer and invert onto a serving plate. Remove the cling film, scatter with the remaining Daim bar and place in the fridge to thaw slightly before slicing. If you forget to do this *ahem* then dip a sharp knife into some hot water, wipe dry and slice away.
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