Semifreddo had been off my radar for a while. Years, in fact. Until I had one in a restaurant recently and remembered what a delicious treat it is (and a great way to do a “wow” homemade ice cream sort of dessert without needing a churn. This is a simple semifreddo, with the addition of rich, sweet Amarena cherries and a little crunch from the Biscoff cookies.
Give it a try and tell me what you think!
3/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs
1 package Biscoff cookies
1 jar Amarenda cherries
Line a 9 x 5 x 3-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang of several inches on all the ends. Place the pan in the freezer to chill. At least 20 minutes before you are ready to whip the cream, place a large bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer in the refrigerator.
Pour the chilled heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract into the chilled bowl and whip the cream at high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
Return the bowl to the refrigerator and proceed with next steps.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes.
In another large mixing bowl, beat the eggs on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly add the hot sugar syrup into the eggs in a thin stream. Continue beating until the mixture is very light and fluffy and feels cool to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes.
Gently fold the chilled whipped cream into the cooled egg-syrup mixture.
Remove the prepared loaf pan from the freezer. Spoon about 1/3 of the mixture into the pan. Create a layer of Biscoff cookies, followed by a layer of cherries, without their syrup (reserve syrup for serving). Spoon the rest of the mixture into a pan, and add a final layer of the Biscoff cookies.
Cover securely with the overhanging plastic wrap and place in freezer. Freeze until set, at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to serve, invert onto a plate or platter, and slice into servings. Drizzle with the cherry syrup
and sprinkle with crushed Biscoff cookies. Enjoy!