Pumpkin Semifreddo

Pumpkin Semifreddo

You are probably thinking ‘say what’? Semifreddo is an Italian frozen dessert using a mix of whipped cream and custard that is frozen. This recipe uses meringue and whipped cream with a nice touch of pumpkin. Recently I was asked to attend a party and bring a dessert but my oven has been on the fritz for two weeks so I had to come up with a dessert that did not require baking. Since it has been so hot these last few days I thought I would make a semifreddo. Throw in some pumpkin and it becomes a seasonal dessert. The nice thing about frozen desserts is that you can make them days in advance.

Pumpkin Semifreddo

2/3 cup sugar

Pinch of Kosher salt

3 large egg whites

½ t vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1 cup pumpkin puree

½ t pumpkin pie spice

14 Pepperidge Farms Gingerman cookies, finely crushed

3 T butter, melted

½ c pecans, chopped and toasted

Coat a 9’ x5’ loaf pan with vegetable spray. Line the pan with plastic wrap leaving several inches of overhang on all sides.

Mix the cookie crumbs and the butter in a small bowl. Using the bottom of a cup, press the cookie mixture into the bottom of the loaf pan.

If you are using canned pumpkin puree, warm the pumpkin puree with the pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Cool completely. This will get rid of the tin flavor from the can.

In a double boiler add the egg whites, salt and sugar. Make sure the top pan is not touching the water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer. Whisk the egg white mixture until the sugar has dissolved about 4 minutes. Remove from the double boiler and pour into a mixing bowl. Beat the meringue mixture on high with an electric beater for 10 minutes until it is glossy and triple in volume. It should be completely cool.

In another bowl whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the meringue then gently fold the whipped cream into the meringue pumpkin mixture until no white streaks appear. Fold in the chopped pecans.

Pour mixture into the loaf pan and smooth down the top with a spatula. Wrap the plastic wrap overhang over the top of the pan making it airtight. Freeze for up to 3 days.

Unwrap the semifreddo and pull out of the loaf pan. Slice into 1” slices and serve crust side down.

Serves 8