Vanille

Semifreddo with vanilla

Semifreddo, a frozen Italian dessert sliced like a terrine. Our version with a Madagascar Bourbon vanilla sabayon, step-by-step recipe.

  • Prep 30 min
  • Cooking 5 min
  • Total 35 min
  • Serves 8 servings
  • Difficulty Medium

Semifreddo is a frozen Italian dessert, halfway between a mousse and an ice cream, which slices like a terrine. Our version flavours the sabayon with Bourbon vanilla, its seeds spread throughout the preparation before it is lightened with whipped cream.

Our family grows and prepares this vanilla in the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar. The sabayon, cooked in a bain-marie then cooled completely, is the base for an airy texture that holds up to freezing without becoming hard.

Method

Preparation

  1. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into a bowl with the egg yolks, sugar and salt.
  2. Whisk the mixture over a bain-marie, in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water without touching it, until it triples in volume and forms a thick ribbon: this is a sabayon. Allow about 5 minutes.
  3. Remove the bowl from the bain-marie and keep whisking off the heat until the sabayon has completely cooled.
  4. Whip the well-chilled cream into a soft whipped cream, not too firm.
  5. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled sabayon with a spatula, lifting the mixture so it does not lose its air.
  6. Pour into a loaf tin lined with cling film, smooth the surface, cover with cling film and freeze for at least 6 hours.
  7. Turn out a few minutes before serving and slice with a knife run under hot water.
Chef's tip

The little extra that changes everything

Fold the whipped cream into the sabayon in stages and with a spatula, lifting the mixture: overmixing would knock out the air and give a denser semifreddo once frozen. For an ice-cream-style frozen version, see our no-churn vanilla ice cream. Our products for this recipe: Madagascar Bourbon vanilla pods

Frequently asked questions

About this recipe

Can the vanilla pod be replaced with vanilla caviar?
Yes, vanilla caviar can be folded directly into the sabayon with no infusing step, and spreads the seeds evenly through the semifreddo.
How long does semifreddo keep in the freezer?
It keeps wrapped for several days in the freezer; it is served sliced, straight from the freezer, as it melts faster than ice cream.
Why cook the sabayon over a bain-marie?
The gentle heat of the bain-marie thickens the egg yolks and sugar into a frothy ribbon without cooking them into lumps, which gives the semifreddo its light texture.
In the kitchen

Four moves with one bean

What to do with a whole bean, from the first cut to the sugar jar.

01 Split 30 s

Knife tip halfway through, one single pass along the whole length.

02 Scrape 1 min

Scrape both halves with a spoon. That black is the flavour.

03 Infuse 20 min

Seeds and bean into the hot milk, off the heat, covered.

Vanilla beans laid on a white plate
04 Reuse 1 week

Rinse the emptied bean, let it dry, then slip it into the sugar.

One bean serves twice
Exceptional ingredients

Our products for this recipe

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