Ingredients:
160 grams butter cookies
½ cup roasted almonds, coarsely ground
100 grams Philadelphia style cream cheese
400 grams sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbs instant coffee granules
3 Tbs hot water
500 ml whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate ganache:
250 grams bittersweet chocolate
250 ml whipping cream
1-2 Tbs coffee liqueur
Method:
To roast the almonds spread on a baking sheet and bake in a 175 C oven for 6-8 minutes. Cool slightly and then chop them roughly in a mini-chopper. Don’t turn them into powder. You want to feel the nuts in the semifreddo.
Crush the cookies in a mini chopper or food processor. It’s ok if some larger pieces remain. Set aside in a bowl until needed.
Make the chocolate ganache by heating the cream in a small saucepan. Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour over it the hot cream. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Mix until chocolate has melted completely and mixture is smooth. Set aside until needed
Put coffee granules in a mug or small bowl. Add the hot water and stir to dissolve.
In a large bowl, whip together the condensed milk with the cream cheese. Mix in the dissolved coffee.
In a mixer bowl whip cream and vanilla to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream in the milk/cheese/coffee mixture. Mix until you have a smooth coffee cream.
Time to assemble the semifreddo. Line the base and sides of a wet loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving some hanging from the sides.
Spread the base with about 4 tablespoons of the coffee cream. Layer will be thin.
Sprinkle cream with 4 tablespoons of the cookie crumbs and
about 3 tablespoons of the nuts
Pour over 1/3 of the chocolate ganache
Top with spoonfuls of about half of the coffee cream.
Repeat process:
Four tablespoons cookie crumbs
Three tablespoons almonds
1/3 of the chocolate ganache
Coffee cream
Finish with a final layer of cookie crumbs and nuts, keeping some for decoration if you like.
Fold over the plastic overhang to cover the semifreddo completely. Transfer in the freezer for at least 6 hours.
To serve, transfer semifreddo in the fridge for 30 minutes (you can also serve this straight from the freezer, which is actually a better idea if you live in Cyprus and it’s the middle of July!). Run a spatula around the edges to help unmold the dessert. Unfold the plastic wrap and invert on a serving platter. Remove the wrap and discard. Pour over the remaining ganache and sprinkle with cookie crumbs and nuts. Slice with a warm knife and serve.
Galatia Pamporides, www.cuisinovia.com
