Mango Semifreddo with Pineapple Caramel
Quick & easy frozen dessert celebrating the wonderful organic mango season we are having in Cape Town.
Best of all is you don’t need any fancy equipment and I Â love the contrast of the ice cream and fresh fruit but what really makes this dessert special is a generous drizzle of the very delicious salty pineapple caramel (which I could eat by the buckets)!
What’s a semifreddo?
A semifreddo is an Italian dessert, translating to ‘half frozen’ and it tastes like the marriage between a mousse and an ice cream. In French it’s called a parfait.
Do I need a ice-cream machine?
No, you don’t need an ice cream machine either, so in a way this the perfect dessert for the busy cook.
Tin prep
The dessert is set in a loaf tin and the key is to line the pan with overhanging plastic wrap, this will make removing the semifreddo from the tin a breeze. When ready to serve, remove the semifreddo from the freezer, dunk the tin in warm tap water for a few seconds and just lift up the plastic and place the dessert on a work surface to slice.
Making a simple sugar syrup
In this recipe we are going to make a sugar syrup which give the ice cream the ability to soften evenly. The syrup also helps to give the ice cream a gorgeous creamy mouthfeel much like an ice cream machine would do by way of churning (constantly mixing).
Making a caramel
You don’t need to make the pineapple caramel as the dessert is delicious without it, BUT making a caramel does push out the boat with this dessert and sometimes we need to.
Rules of making a caramel:
- melting the sugar in the beginning is a gentle process, we need to make sure all the sugar has fully dissolved before we crank up the heat
- when we boil sugar, sugar crystals will form on the side of the saucepan, in order to prevent this we need to brush the sides of the saucepan, with a wet pastry brush (any clean brush will do).
- like hot oil, caramel can be dangerous when spilled or come into contact with your skin! PLEASE be careful while it’s still hot, best to clear the kitchen of little ones.
The caramel can be kept in the fridge for a really long time – soo good!
Toppings
You can play about with the toppings:
- toasted coconut flakes
- toasted desiccated coconut
- fresh pineapple or mango slices
Mango & Yogurt Semifreddo with Pineapple Caramel
Equipment
- NutriBullet to blend the mango into a puree
- electric hand or stand mixer (kitchen aid) to blend egg yolks and the sugar syrup
- pastry brush (any clean brush)
- a 10 x 20cm Loaf tin
Ingredients
- 2 large mangoes you will need 200g puree
- 100 g full fat Greek yogurt
- 85 g organic cream
- 80 g mascarpone
- 80 g castor sugar
- 3 egg organic egg yolks
- 1/2 pineapple peeled & cut into neat blocks (to serve) see intro for more serving suggestions
- 2 passionfruit pulp (to serve)
- 2 tbspn mint finely chopped just before serving ( to serve)
Pineapple Sauce/Caramel (opt)
- 170 ml fresh pineapple juice
- 325 g organic brown sugar light
- 60 g salted/unsalted butter
- 85 g organic cream
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Prepare a 20cm x 8cm loaf tin by lining with plastic wrap, overhanging at the sides. This overhang will ensure that the ice-cream can easily be lifted out of the tin when you are ready to serve.
- To make the semifreddo: Whizz the chopped mango pieces in a high speed blender until smooth, pass through a sieve (to avoid any 'hairs') - we need 200g fresh mango pulp. Add the yogurt to the puree and whisk well.
- Whisk the egg yolks in another medium bowl - keep aside (we will mix the sugar syrup in here soon).
- In another bowl, lightly whisk the cream and the mascarpone together to soft 'floppy' peaks - I find a hand whisk, although it takes longer, works better.
- To make the sugar syrup: In a saucepan, add the caster sugar and 60ml water, gently heat the water, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, bring the water up to a gently boil for 8 minutes. The colour should not change but if you (carefully) roll a little bit the syrup between your thumb and index finger it should feel 'tacky' and sticky. Let it cool for a few minutes off the heat.
- Gradually, little by little add the sugar syrup to the egg yolks and whisk until cool/room temperature.
- Gently fold in the mango mixture followed by the cream mixture - carefully pour into the prepared tin and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).
- Let's make the pineapple caramel: Add the pastry brush to a bowl of water. Place the pineapple juice and sugar in a saucepan, gently heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, bring to a boil, on a medium heat.
- Important Step: every 5 minutes or so brush the sides of the saucepan with the wet pastry brush, this will prevent hard sugar crystals from forming on the side of the saucepan. Keep on boiling, brushing and occasionally stirring the sugar for about 20min.
- The sugar mixture will start to turn golden, large 'air' bubbles will appear and it will smell like caramel.
- Stir in the butter followed by the cream and salt, the mixture might bubble slightly - stir until smooth. Keep aside at room temperature for a day and then move to the fridge.
- When you are ready to serve, make sure all the toppings are ready and your a pretty serving plate is ready as the ice cream melts easily once taken out of the freezer.
- Add hot tap water to a deep pan, take the loaf tin out of the freezer and dip the tin into the hot water for a few seconds or until you can lift the ice cream out of the tin (holding the plastic sides).
- Tip the ice cream on the serving plate and remove the plastic, add the toppings and serve with some caramel drizzled and decorated over the ice cream and the rest on the side - enjoy.
