ROASTED CHERRY, PISTACHIO & CARDAMOM SEMIFREDDO

This is one of those desserts that looks like you’ve made a real effort, but is actually pretty low-lift. Semifreddo sits somewhere between ice cream and mousse – but a little softer, lighter, and a bit more forgiving. It is also ideal for making ahead.

I roast the cherries first, so they turn soft and slightly jammy, which stops the whole thing from feeling too rich. They cut through the cream with little pockets of sharpness, which keeps things interesting.

I split the mixture in two – adding cardamom to one half, pistachio cream to the other – it then gets layered with the cherries and crushed meringue. It doesn’t need to be neat at all, the semifreddo just settles into itself as it freezes.

It’s best made the day before, then just sliced straight from the freezer. Slightly soft, a bit creamy, and very easy to serve.

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ROASTED CHERRY, PISTACHIO & CARDAMOM SEMIFREDDO

A layered semifreddo with roasted cherries, pistachio cream and cardamom. Soft, sliceable, and perfect for making ahead.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

• 350 g cherries halved & pitted
• 3 tbsp demerara sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 100 g icing sugar
• pinch of salt
• 300 ml double cream
• 12 cardamom pods seeds crushed into a powder
• 75 g pistachio cream
• 50 g ready-made meringues roughly crushed
• to serve: extra cream, if you like

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°c (fan-assisted).

2. Combine the cherries and demerara sugar on a baking tray. Give them a quick mix, then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and slightly shrivelled. Leave to cool fully.

3. Meanwhile, separate the eggs into two mixing bowls – whites in one, yolks in the other. Beat the whites until stiff and set to one side. Add the icing sugar and a little pinch of salt to the yolks, and whisk until they are pale and starting to thicken. In a third mixing bowl, whip the double cream until it has reached very soft peaks (don’t over whip it! If anything, go on the less-whipped side, just to be safe).
4. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the whipped cream, and whisk until fully combined. Next, fold in the egg whites, a few spoonfuls at a time, until you have a creamy, bubbly mix. Divide it into two.
5. In one half of the mixture, stir through the cardamom. In the other half of the mixture, whisk through the pistachio cream.

6. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper. Dollop a third of both the cardamom cream and the pistachio cream into the bottom of the tin. Marble them together with a knife, then freeze for 30 minutes.

7. Once frozen, scatter over half the roasted cherries and some of their syrup, along with half of the crushed meringues. Dollop another third of both the cardamom and pistachio cream over top, marble them together and freeze for a further 30 minutes.

8. Finally, scatter over the remaining roasted cherries and their syrup, remaining crushed meringues and the remainder of both the cardamom cream and the pistachio cream. Marble everything together, then freeze overnight.

9. Gently remove the semi-freddo from its tin, and peel off the baking parchment. Slice into chunks and serve with a little extra cream, if you like.

Find loads more cherry recipes here!