White Chocolate Semifreddo
July 14, 2023

Executive Chef Federico Tidu shared with us the recipe for his White Chocolate Semifreddo. This dessert is fine dining standard and something you can re-create at home. The creamy texture with small pieces of figs, a slight zing of rum, the crunchy texture of the cumble and overall is absolutely delicious. Create this for any guest at your next dinner party and you’ll have them coming back for more!

The semifreddo is a traditional Italian ice cream dessert and has been a feature on Jonah’s menu to much acclaim.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Semifreddo:
1L cream
500g dried figs
75g sugar
250g white chocolate
100mL Rhum
4 egg yolks

Golden coconut crumble:
140g cold butter
140g plain flour
140g caster sugar
100g almond meal
40g desiccated coconut
Pinch fine salt
125g white chocolate
30g cocoa butter (can be substituted 25g white chocolate)

Caramel pearls to serve

Method

Semifreddo:
Chop dried figs very small. Add to cream and refrigerate overnight to infuse flavour into the cream.
Strain figs from cream and set aside.
Soak the figs in Rhum for 10 minutes.

Using a whisk, mix sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until creamy. Semi-whip 600mL of set aside infused cream. Using a spatula, fold the whipped infused cream into the creamy yolks.

Melt the white chocolate and incorporate into cream and yolk mixture – the temperature of the chocolate needs to be warm, but not too hot.
Add 3 tablespoons of the Rhum soaked figs (strained) into the mixture and stir until gently combined.

Fill half-dome molds with semifreddo mixture and set in the freezer overnight.

Golden coconut crumble:
In a mixer, combine cold butter and caster sugar until creamy.

Add plain flour, almond meal, desiccated coconut and salt into the mixer and mix until combined.
Place the dough onto a lined rectangle baking tray and spread out.
Bake at 160 C until golden, about 20 minutes, the dough will be very soft, stir it every 5 minutes to ensure even baking.

Melt white chocolate and cocoa butter in separate bowls as they have different melting point temperatures.
Pour melted white chocolate and cocoa butter over the cooled, but still warm golden crumble and mix together.
Set in the fridge, once cold crumble into the desired size – use a food processor for a few seconds if needed.

Caramel pearls have an advanced Chef skill level, so it is recommended to buy them for the perfect result or omit them altogether.

To serve:
Turn out the set half-dome semifreddo onto the middle of the plate. For a special look, you can glaze or drizzle with white chocolate.

Sprinkle coconut crumble and caramel pearls onto the plate surrounding the semifreddo and garnish with shaved white chocolate or golden leaves.

Love this recipe? See what desserts are currently on our menu here>