Half Cold

     On these unbearably hot days here in the Northeast, what could be better than a cool and refreshing gelato or scoop of ice cream?  Let me introduce you to a staple in most Italian restaurants that will provide you with a whole new perspective on staying cool in style.  It's semifreddo, a fluffy, sliceable derivation of ice cream, only better.  It has been described at the richest, most luscious and most decadent member of the frozen dessert family.

     Meaning half cold in Italian, semifreddo maintains a soft, velvety texture even right out of the freezer.  "Because it contains so much sugar and air, it will never freeze into a hard, dense block the way ice cream does," so claim Mark Scarbrough & Bruce Weinstein, co-authors of two cookbooks about frozen desserts.  They go on to say that you don't even need any fancy special equipment to make it either, not even an ice cream maker.

     There are only three components to a semifreddo:  Whipped cream, zabaglione, and Swiss meringue.  The whipped cream adds richness and air, the zabaglione, a light and foamy Italian sauce of egg yolks, sugar and flavorings does the same with the added benefit of incorporating a variety of flavors from liqueurs, to chocolate, to fresh fruit.  And finally the thick glossy Swiss meringue, a mixture of egg whites and sugar, adds an additional level of sweetness and loft.  Simply fold all three elements together, freeze in a loaf pan, slice and serve.  It's abondonza!