Chocolate Semifreddo (Chocolate Coviglia) GF

-Serves 10
Semifreddo, literally meaning “half frozen”, was born in the city of Naples, under the influence of the French and the Spanish who ruled the city for many centuries. This semi-frozen chocolate dessert is a beautiful marriage between ice-cream and mousse taking on its chill from the former, and its light and airy texture from the latter. Extremely easy to make and ready within minutes, the hero here is simply “quality dark chocolate” mixed with eggs and whipped cream in just a handful of steps. Although, chocolate and coffee are the most classics versions, don’t hesitate to try other modern variations, like the one below with ground cardamoms and my personal favorite topped with saffron-pistachio whipped cream. Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients for Chocolate Semifreddo (Chocolate Coviglia) GF

150g quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish (I use Lindt 70%)
350ml heavy whipping cream, cold
3 pasteurized egg whites 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
4 pasteurized egg yolks 
80-110g fine sugar
2 tablespoons rum
6 green cardamoms, seeds only - finely pounded, optional 

Recipe
  1. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a glass bowl and whisk on a saucepan of simmering water until melted. Alternatively melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, mixing at 20-30 second intervals, until fully melted. Set aside to cool down slightly
  2. Chill the bowl and whisk of an electric mixer in the fridge or freezer. Pour cold whipping cream in the chilled bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form - set aside in the fridge.
  3. In a clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with lemon juice until stiff peaks form - set aside. 
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and the granulated sugar until fluffy and pale. Add the rum and melted chocolate to the egg yolks and mix until combined. 
  5. Gently fold in the whipped cream and egg whites with the egg yolks - mix with a spatula until well incorporated. Sprinkle ground cardamom seeds - fold it in. Do so gently, making sure not to deflate the mixture.
  6. Divide into small glasses or cups and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer 5 minutes before serving. To serve, decorate with dark chocolate curls made by scrapping a sharp knife over a bar of chocolate.
Optional Topping:​ You can also top Semifreddo with some sweetened whipped cream or pistachio-saffron whipped cream
To make sweetened whipped cream: Chill the bowl and whisk of an electric mixer in the fridge or freezer. Pour 300ml cold whipping cream in the chilled bowl with 2-3 tablespoons fine sugar, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use. Place a dollop of whipped cream on semifreddo before serving.
To make pistachio-saffron whipped cream: In a food processor, grind 1/2 cup plain, unsalted pistachios with a generous pinch of saffron strands, until very fine. Sprinkle the ground mix all over sweetened whipped cream and gently fold it in using a spatula. Place a dollop of pitsachio-saffron whipped cream on semifreddo before serving.
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