Espresso semifreddo

I love sweets.

Especially my ice cream.

I suffer through the lactose intolerance to get my dose of frozen heaven.

Recently, I had a surplus of whipping cream, courtesy of the basement tenant, who works at the local dairy plant. What better to make than home made ice cream?

I went all the way back to the launch issue of Donna Hay (a bi-monthly Australian magazine) for the 9-page spread on semifreddos that has an espresso semifreddo.

Semifreddo is Italian for  "half frozen", and it has the texture similar to ice cream, but so much simpler to make. Since I so (un)conveniently lack an ice cream maker, semifreddo is my frozen dessert of choice.

Making semifreddo is easy, you'll need 2 bowls - one to heat the eggs and sugar, another to beat the cream.

In your heatproof bowl over a simmering pot of water, whisk eggs egg yolks and caster sugar together before removing it from the water and beating it some more. Add the espresso to this bowl.

In the other bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form. I recommend an electric beater for all these steps, as it gets quite tiring.

Fold in the egg mixture and pour into glasses to freeze.

Espresso Semifreddo (adapted from Donna Hay Magazine)

3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup caster sugar**
1/3 cup strong espresso, cooled
1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
shots of espresso/amaretto, to serve (optional) 

1. In a heatproof bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar until heated and frothy. Take off heat and beat another 5 minutes until pale and thick. Fold in coffee.
2. In another bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form.
3. Fold in egg mixture until just combined.
4. Pour into glasses or serving container. Cover with foil or saran wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours.
5. Serve with a short of espresso or amaretto. 

** Caster sugar dissolves faster and better, so the chance of a grainy texture after beating is lower. Granulated sugar is absolutely fine to use, but be sure to test the graininess of the egg mixture.