Semifreddo is an Italian, fluffy, light, semi frozen mousse dessert that just screams summer.
If you’ve never heard of semifreddo, this is going to be a luscious discovery.
It’s simple to make and requires no special equipment whatsoever.
Semi frozen, as the name “semifreddo” implies it’s essentially a frozen mousse.
It’s flavor falls in between mousse dessert and ice-cream.
But it’s much lighter than ice-cream.
A combination of creamy ricotta, sweet whipped cream with sweet & sour lemon edge it melts on your tongue very quickly.
Top it of with fresh mint sauce and it feels like heaven in your mouth.
If you think gelato is an ultimate summer dessert, this Lemon Semifreddo is a summer dessert to die for.
Full Recipe
Lemon Semifreddo with Ricotta & Fresh Mint Sauce
Ingredients
For Lemon Semifreddo:
- 2 lemons zest and juice
- 1 cup ricotta cheese drained
- 1 cup whipping cream 36% fat
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 sheets gelatin 10 g
- 3 eggs
For Mint Sauce:
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
For Garnishing:
- Mint leaves
- 1 lemon sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Soak gelatin leaves in a cold water for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, zest the lemons and separate egg yolks from the egg whites. Be careful not to break any egg yolks into the eggs whites! Beat egg yolks with ¼ sugar until smooth and creamy texture.
- In a separate bowl, beat freshly squeezed lemon juice from zested lemons with well drained ricotta cheese.
- Use ¼ cup of whipping cream, add drained and squeezed from the water gelatin leaves. Simmer on a low heat until gelatin leaves are completely dissolved.
- Add cream gelatin mixture to the egg yolks. Mix in lemon ricotta, whisk well until all ingredients are well mixed together.
- In 2 separate bowls beat well chilled whipping cream and egg whites with the remaining ¾ cup sugar you have left. Beat both until stiff peaks.
- Add freshly made whipped cream to the egg yolk ricotta mix. Whisk well.
- As the last step, gently fold in the egg whites, a few spoons at a time.
- Pour your “soon-to-be semifreddo” into a large rectangular bakeware or tin, suitable for the freezer. Level semifreddo nicely and place in the freezer for 6-7 hrs.
- For the Mint Sauce, bring water, sugar, lemon zest and mint leaves to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is reduced and becomes a bit thicker. Let cool. Remove lemon zest and mint leaves.
- After semifreddo is well chilled in the freezer, garnish it with thin lemon slices, pour over the mint sauce and top with a few mint leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have you ever tried Semifreddo? Isn't it a summer perfection on a plate!
As always, would love to read you thoughts.
Ciao 🙂
Tami says
Is there a time you should add the lemon zest?
Italian Recipe Book says
Hi Tami, add lemon zest when you start cooking the mint syrup.
Thank you for asking!
Tami says
Are you supposed to add the lemon zest somewhere?
Best Recipes List says
Your Recipe caught our attention, so we added it to our list: 49 Best Italian Recipes
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. Keep up the good work!
Biddy says
Do you return the semifreddo to the freezer after pouring on the mint sauce? Thanks
Italian Recipe Book says
Hello Biddy, it's best to pour mint sauce before serving. You can keep the sauce in the fridge if you're not going to consume semifreddo in one go.