Christmas Semifreddo

Now that I have finished decking my halls for Christmas, I have shifted my focus to other holiday preparations like sending out my Christmas cards and preparations of the delicious kind.

I will start making cookies over the weekend to take to my friend Karen’s annual cookie exchange party next week, but yesterday I made this…

If you have never had Semifreddo, it is a semi-frozen dessert that is like an ice cream cake. It is a cross between ice cream and frozen mousse. It is DELICIOUS especially when you let it soften a bit before eating.

It is a perfect dessert for entertaining around the holidays since you can make it up to 3 weeks ahead of time. When it is time to serve, you simply invert the pan you made it in onto a serving plate and then spoon berries in the center to garnish.

I chose to make it with amaretto liqueur, but you could also make it with Kirsch (cherry liqueur). The recipe calls for thin mint parfaits. I used After Eight mints, but had a hard time finding them. I finally found them in the candy aisle at the 5th supermarket I went to.

The gold-rimmed plate is from Ed’s family. I always try to use it when we entertain. It is perfect for the semifreddo.

A spoonful of semifreddo with berries is quite delish, one that will have you and your holiday guests’ tastebuds smiling.

Yield: 10 servings

Semifreddo can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 weeks.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup amaretto
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup chopped shortbread cookies (about 8 cookies)
• 1/2 cup chopped mint parfait thins (I used 14 After Eight Mints)
• Fresh cherries, raspberries, and strawberries for garnish
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. In small saucepan, combine cherries, amaretto, and honey. Bring to a simmering and well mixed. Remove from heat. Let stand until mixture reaches room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, coat 9-inch diameter 6 1/2-cup ring mold with nonstick vegetable-oil cooking spray. Line mold with plastic wrap, smoothing out wrinkles.
3. In large bowl, stir together cream, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Beat mixture just until stiff peak form.
4. Fold in shortbread cookies, After Eight Mints, and cherry mixture until blended. Scrape into mold. Freeze for 6 hours or until firm.
5. To serve: Remove mold from freezer; invert onto serving platter. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently tap plate and mold on countertop; slide mold from semifreddo, and remove plastic wrap. Smooth semifreddo with a spatula Garnish with fresh berries and cherries.

If you enjoyed this post you may also enjoy the easy to follow DIY Decorating Tutorials and Creative Ideas on my blog, In My Own Style.com Republishing this article in full or in part is a violation of Copyright law @2009-2014, all rights reserved