Dropped ice cream

Once, many years ago on Christmas eve we dropped the dessert.

My mum was nervous about how it was going to work out. She had worked long and hard; sourcing a recipe that would please a mish mash of palettes, chopping nougat, toasting almonds, sourcing ricotta and finding raspberries at reasonable prices.

There we all were; sitting up in the garden, on a long table. There must have been 14 of us. After daiquiris, after dinner we went to the kitchen, took the semifreddo out of the freezer, unwrapped it and presented it on a long white expensive homewares store platter. We started making our way up the garden path.

The raspberry nougat semifreddo log was billed as one of the highlights of the night.

Then, despite us thinking it was all going to turn out fine, even after all the worry; it fell.

Into the dirt and the sticks.

Without thinking we picked it up, turned around, took it to the kitchen, rinsed it off, patted it dry and put it back out on the platter to serve again.

After worrying for so long about it, and putting so much energy into it, we just wanted something from the endeavor to be salvaged.

If iced desserts have emotions; then I think I know how that semifreddo might have felt.

All we can say right now is thank heavens for the distraction of Christmas.

Time to dust ourselves off, and get ready to start again.

(And thanks so much for all of the good thoughts over the past month).

Raspberry nougat semifreddo
(Via Goodtaste.com, memory, and my Mum)

2 eggs
4 egg yolks
215g (1 cup) caster sugar
300 ml thickened cream
300 g of ricotta
200g almond nougat, coarsely chopped
1 x 120g punnet fresh raspberries
1 x 100g pkt toasted slivered almonds
Fresh raspberries, extra, to serve

Method
1. Line an 11 x 21cm loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing the sides to overhang.
2. Use a hand-held electric beater to whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Place over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and continue whisking for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thick and pale. Remove from heat and whisk for a further 2 minutes or until cool.
3. Use an electric beater to whisk the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Fold through the ricotta. Use a large metal spoon to gently fold in the egg mixture. Add the nougat, raspberries and almonds and gently fold until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 6 hours or until set.
4. Remove semifreddo from the freezer and set aside for 10 minutes to soften slightly. Turn onto a serving platter and top with extra raspberries. Serve immediately.

NB- try not to drop it on the way to the table.

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