Pistachio Semifreddo

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Pistachio Semifreddo

Semifreddo is an ice-cream-like dessert that is conveniently frozen in a loaf pan and not churned. Which means you don’t need to own an ice cream making contraption! Also, due to the air that is whipped into it, it resists melting more than ice cream, so it is great for dinner parties, where you can serve it as a slice on a plate. 

This recipe is for pistacho–probably my favorite flavor of all time. It can be hard to find good pistacho ice cream at the store (and trips to Italy are curtailed for a while!). Now that it is relatively easy to find shelled pistachios in large bags, why not make it at home as a semifreddo?

  • Author: Lillian Magidow
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Scale

Pistachio Base

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/3 cup shelled pistachios, divided (reserve 1/3 to mix in later)
  • 4 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. almond extract
  • green food coloring

Custard Base

  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt (optional, see note)

Mousse

  • 1 1/3 c. whipping cream, very cold

Instructions

Pistachio Base

  1. See note below about salted pistachios. Also, reserve 1/3 c. for later use.
  2. Blitz the 1 c. pistachios in a food processor with 4 Tbsp. sugar until very fine
  3. Put the pistachio dust into a small saucepan with the milk. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat, then let steep for 20 minutes.
  4. Strain and toss the used pistachios.
  5. Mix the almond extract into the pistachio base.
  6. Add food coloring to your desired color. Keep in mind you will be adding in the custard base and whipped cream, so you should lean a little too green at this point.

Custard Base

  1. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a medium metal bowl (or the top of a double boiler if you have one). Add the salt if you are using unsalted pistachios.
  2. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and do not allow the bowl to touch the water.
  3. Whisk the egg mixture with a handheld mixer until the mixture has increased in volume and it has reached 170 F, about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 
  5. Stir in the Pistachio Base.

Forming the Mousse

  1. Using a large, cold bowl and clean beaters, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. I find that as soon as it starts making ribbon-ey ridges in the bowl it is at the right point.
  2. Fold the Custard-Pistachio Base into the whipped cream, taking care not to knock too much air out of the mousse.
  3. Chop the remaining pistachios and fold them in

Freezing & Serving

  1. Spray a regular 9″ loaf pan with Pam spray, and then line with a generously sized layer of plastic wrap.
  2. Plop the mixture into the pan and smooth the surface.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap, forming a seal so it doesn’t pick up any off flavors in the freezer.
  4. Freeze for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Can be made several days in advance.
  5. To serve, briefly run the edges of the pan under hot water, then invert onto a serving platter.
  6. Slice 3/4-1″ pieces. Optionally drizzle with chocolate or berry sauce, or sprinkle with more pistachios. Enjoy!

Notes

  • The pistachios I used were already roasted and salted. The roasting gave a nice flavor, but the salt might have been too much. To counteract this, I rinsed them in a strainer before starting to remove some of the salt. I let them dry off partially on clean cloth.