Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Strawberry Semifreddo – Semi-Amazing

I used to tell my students to never try making classic desserts “healthier,” since your guests will always compare it to the unhealthy, and undoubtedly far superior original version. 

And yet that’s exactly what I’ve done with this strawberry semifreddo, although, in fairness, that happened accidentally while I was trying to make the recipe easier.

Traditionally, we’d make an egg custard for the base, as well as cook down our strawberry puree to concentrate the flavors; and while that does produce a fine, and much richer semifreddo, I wanted something simpler, that didn’t require any cooking. Besides saving time, and eggs, I think we also get a little cleaner, more distinct berry flavor.

However, the price we pay for those skipped steps, and the modest amount of sugar, is a less smooth and creamy texture. An extra rich, classically made semifreddo can be quite similar to ice cream, whereas this will be much firmer when frozen. That's why you really do need to let these warm up for at least 10 or 15 minutes before serving.

In the video, I described the texture as something in between strawberry ice cream and a strawberry popsicle, which reminds me, if you do have the molds, this mixture would be perfect frozen on a stick. Regardless of your delivery system, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Makes 10 Ramekins (mine were 5.5 ounces each):
1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
zest from 1 lemon
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar, optional
1 3/4 cups cold heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter

For the garnish:
1 1/2 cup diced or sliced strawberries
2 or 3 tablespoons white sugar, or as needed
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15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Would these keep in the freezer for a while?

bdwilcox said...

"I know it was you, Semifreddo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart. Well, at least partially."

Unknown said...

Hello chef John I have a food wish. Would you ever make cod cobbler? There are only a few recipes and no videos but I bet you could make it into an amazing dish. Yummy 😋

Annie said...

Thanks.

Gonna make this for my day off my weight loss diet. Yumm

Sullivanspapa said...

Hello Chef John,
I use 3 online venues to see your stellar work: YouTube, All Recipes and your Foodwishes.com, wherever I happen to be at the time. My own foodwish is that you provide a way to Save and possibly print the featured Recipe they way you can on AllRecipes! I dont see how this can be done via Pin It.

Unknown said...

Hey chef John, fist I HAVE to say I have been watching you for ( I wanted to say 3-4 years, but judging by your videos its more of a 8-9 years) long time XD This is first time I am trying to write you in vane hope you will read it and perhaps respond. So I wanted to say 2 thing.

First is I wish you you made at least one Serbian dish, I can give few tips if you want :D I just wonna hear your opinions

And second How long can these stay in freezer? Can we make them and leave them in for a month or something? :D

Keep posting mountaineering videos and I will try to make them at home thanks for making me a better cook :)

beemo said...

Chef John, I seem to see be seeing words like "healthier" more and more in your postings, and it's starting to RANKLE MY ASS. For god's sake, spare us.

Cris said...

Would this work with cream cheese instead of yogurt? Would other ingredient amounts need to change? In what way would it affect the freeze and the final texture?

Chris K. said...

This technique exemplifies one of the very few circumstances in which the phrase "too hard to enjoy" is called for.

Unknown said...

Hi chef John! I was wondering if you could leave these in the freezer overnight if you’re making them later, and also how will they turn out?

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John! I was wondering if you could leave these in the freezer overnight if you make it later? As well as how will they turn out?

Omar K said...

Hello Chef John,

First, thank you for all that you do. It is greatly appreciated.

Secondly, I was sad to see that the link to the ingredient list for your amazing Flank Steak with Cabrales Cheese and Warm Garlic, Orange, Sherry Vinaigrette is no longer working. In addition, I couldn't find the video on Youtube. Is there anyway you could re-upload the video with ingredients? Or provide me a link to it somewhere? I was planning to make it this weekend for my parents before they travel. It is one of their favorite dishes.

Thank you again

Omar K said...

Hello Chef John,

First, thank you for all that you do. It is greatly appreciated.

Secondly, I was sad to see that the link to the ingredient list for your amazing Flank Steak with Cabrales Cheese and Warm Garlic, Orange, Sherry Vinaigrette is no longer working. In addition, i cannot find that video either on Youtube. Is there anyway you could re upload the video with ingredients? I was planning to make it this weekend for my parents before they travel. It is one of there favorite dishes.

Thank you again

Cris said...

Would this recipe work using cream cheese instead of yogurt? How would it affect the freeze time, thaw time, and texture? Would you recommend it (cream cheese)?

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