Servers 6-8. Vegetarian

In cooking, semifreddo (literally ‘half cold’) refers to certain kinds of chilled or partly frozen desserts. This particular dish is ideal for a dinner party or to serve to unexpected guests as you can prepare it in advance and take it out of the freezer shortly before serving. Simply cut into slices and serve. Feel free to add other ingredients with or in place of the dark chocolate, such as toffee brittle (see page 314) or liqueur-soaked raisins. It is fabulous served with chocolate sauce.

• 3 eggs, separated
• 150g (5oz) caster sugar
• 500ml (18fl oz) double or regular cream
• 200g (7oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 175ml (6fl oz) dark chocolate sauce, to serve
• 900g (2 lb) loaf tin (24 x 11cm/ 9Hx 4Hin) with 8cm (3in) sides

Cooking Instructions

1. Line the base of the loaf tin with parchment paper or a double layer of cling film, leaving the excess hanging out over the edges.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. In a second bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Finally, in another (spotlessly clean) bowl, whisk the egg whites (with a clean whisk) until they form firm peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture and then carefully fold in the egg whites.
3. Sprinkle a third of the chopped chocolate evenly into the base of the prepared tin. Pour half the semifreddo mixture over the chocolate, followed by the next third of the chocolate. Finally, pour over the remaining semifreddo and top with the remaining chocolate. Cover with the excess hanging parchment or cling film and freeze for at least 6 hours until solid.
4. Once it is set, carefully remove the semifreddo from the tin, turning it upside down onto a plate, and remove the parchment or cling film. Cut into slices, using a warm knife if necessary and serve with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Variations

Semifreddo with nuts: Substitute some of the weight of chocolate for roughly chopped nuts, such as pecans, almonds or hazelnuts, or even candied peel.

Citrus semifreddo: Try adding the finely grated zest of 1 large orange to the semifreddo, adding it when the whipped cream is being folded into the egg yolk mixture.

White chocolate semifreddo: Substitute the 200g (7oz) dark chocolate with a good-quality white chocolate and assemble the semifreddo in the same way. Serve with toffee sauce.