With an aromatic and velvety ingredient, this excellent semifreddo will surprise your guests. You have to be careful though: stay away from this dessert if you have a sweet tooth, it is addictive! Daniela Bianchi from Caminadella dolci shares with us a recipe for a fresh and rich parfait (a soft and creamy semifreddo), perfect for a nice dinner with friends this summer but it can be easily eaten in winter as well. Sweet and pleasant, Gewürztraminer is a perfect wine to bring out the flavor of this dessert.
1 Zabaione is an Italian dessert made with egg yolk, sugar, and sweet wine
2 Amaretto is an almond flavored macaroon
Ingredients for 14 people
– 7 eggs
– 7 tablespoons of caster sugar (superfine sugar)
– ¼ liter of cream
– 6 tablespoons of Gewürztraminer wine (roughly 120 grams)
– a handful of crushed amaretti cookies
– 14 aluminium cupcake cases or a plum cake pan
Separate the egg yolks from egg whites and whip the egg yolks with sugar to make the zabaione. When the mixture becomes lighter in color, add Gewürztraminer , then stir the zabaione slowly with a whisk in a double boiler (for bain-marie). You can easily see when the zabaione is ready based on its consistency: it becomes slightly fluffy, smooth, and homogenous. When you taste it, you should not feel the sugar granules.
Let the zabaione cool off, and in the meantime beat the egg whites till stiff. In a different and cool container whip the cream, place it in the cooler part of the fridge, and leave it there until it cools off completely. Then, take the zabaione and mix it with half the amount of amaretti, cream, and whipped egg whites.
Sprinkle the remaining amaretti on the bottom of each cupcake case (or on your plumcake pan with a baking foil) and pour the zabaione in each case. The parfait should stay in the freezer for at least 12 hours before being served.
Decoration that will leave you breathless
If you decided to use the aluminium cupcake cases, take out the parfait and lay it gently on a dessert plate. Instead, if you used a plum cake pan, turn the pan upside down, remove the baking paper, and cut the dessert into slices.
As a decoration try tasty caramelized nectarines with some Gewürztraminer and a tablespoon of sugar. Slice the nectarines and put them into a pot with some wine and sugar. Wait for the syrup to thicken and for the peach slices to become caramelized on the surface. Then remove from heat and decorate your semifreddo with a slice of peach and with your peach syrup.
Peaches go very well with this aromatic wine and with amaretti, but you can also try other interesting combinations. For instance, try melting some dark chocolate in a double boiler. If you want to keep your calories down, a better option might be to mix some berries with powdered sugar so as to get a fresh and slightly sour coulis.
Wines to accompany the parfait
Ramandolo DOCG from Friuli Venezia Giulia
Gewürztraminer Late harvest
Full menu
Appetizer: Oil dip with vegetables and chickpeas hummus
Main dish: Veal meatloaf with basil (wrapped in a linen), served cold with tomato salad
Dessert: semifreddo with Gewürztraminer
Translation by Bojana Murisic
