**Andrea Da Merano's Semifreddo di Amaretti with Fresh Peaches: A Refreshing Italian Summer Treat**
Indulge in the delightful flavors of summer with Andrea Da Merano's Semifreddo di Amaretti, a classic Italian dessert that combines the delicate crunch of amaretti cookies with the juicy sweetness of fresh peaches. This semifreddo, meaning "half-cold" in Italian, is a frozen mousse-like dessert that strikes a perfect balance between ice cream and cake. As you dive into this culinary masterpiece, you'll encounter layers of creamy almond-flavored mousse, crunchy amaretti crumbs, and refreshing peach sorbet, all enveloped in a delicate glaze of apricot preserves. This recipe is not only a taste sensation but also a visual delight, with its vibrant colors and elegant presentation. Accompany the semifreddo with additional fresh peaches for an extra burst of summery flavors.
**Additional Recipes to Explore:**
1. **Amaretti Cookies:** Learn the art of making traditional Italian amaretti cookies, the essential ingredient for the semifreddo. These crisp, almond-flavored cookies add a delightful texture and nutty flavor to the dessert.
2. **Peach Sorbet:** Discover the simplicity of homemade peach sorbet, a refreshing and flavorful complement to the semifreddo. This sorbet captures the essence of ripe, juicy peaches, creating a light and airy frozen treat.
3. **Apricot Glaze:** Elevate your dessert with a glossy and flavorful apricot glaze. Made with apricot preserves, sugar, and lemon juice, this glaze adds a touch of sweetness and a beautiful sheen to the semifreddo.
Embark on this culinary journey and impress your family and friends with Andrea Da Merano's Semifreddo di Amaretti with Fresh Peaches. Treat yourself to a taste of Italian summer with this exquisite dessert that combines the best of flavors, textures, and presentation.
SEMIFREDDO AMARETTI WITH FRESH PEACHES
Provided by Corby Kummer
Categories ice creams and sorbets, dessert
Time 3h20m
Yield Eight to ten servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they thicken. Add the half-cup of amaretti crumbs and continue beating for five minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically, until the color of the mixture becomes light and the texture quite thick. Stir in the liqueur, if desired.
- In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites at medium speed until they foam. With the mixer at high speed, slowly add one-half cup of confectioner's sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites hold firm - but not stiff -peaks, about three more minutes.
- In a chilled bowl, beat the cream until it forms soft - but not stiff -peaks.
- Fold together the egg whites and the cream.
- Fold one quarter of the cream and egg white mixture into the egg yolks until they are well blended. Fold in the rest of the cream and egg white mixture by halves, deflating the mixture as little as possible.
- Turn the mixture into custard cups, individual molds, a loaf pan or an ice-cube tray without the separator. Cover well with plastic. Freeze for two to three hours. Semifreddo will keep in freezer for several weeks.
- When ready to serve, plunge the peaches into boiling water for 15 seconds. Rinse under cold water, peel and slice very thinly. Toss with lemon juice and the remaining one-half cup confectioner's sugar, adding sugar according to taste.
- Dip the molds (or mold) briefly into hot water and turn out the semifreddo. Serve individual portions or slices of semifreddo, surrounded by peach slices. Garnish the semifreddo (but not the peaches) with broken pieces of amaretti.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 277, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 26 grams, Fat 18 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 65 milligrams, Sugar 19 grams
GRILLED PEACHES WITH AMARETTI
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat a grill with a single layer of charcoal. When the coals are hot, brush the grill with a little oil to make sure the peaches don't stick. Place the peaches, cut side down, on the grill and cook for a few minutes, until they're slightly charred.
- Place the peaches in an oven-proof dish, sprinkle each half with a little vanilla sugar. Combine the rum and amaretto and drizzle 1/2 of it on the peaches. Bake the peaches for about 10 minutes, until they're very tender. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold with crumbled amaretti cookies on top or with the cookies on the side. I like to serve them with a dollop of creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.
- Vanilla Sugar:
- Find a jar tall enough to hold 2 vanilla beans. Fill the bottle with sugar and cover tightly. Store on a pantry shelf. After about 3 months you will have a wonderful ingredient for cooking and baking. Keep adding vanilla beans and sugar to the jar and you will have it for years.
PEACHES STUFFED WITH AMARETTI COOKIES
Provided by Giada De Laurentiis
Categories dessert
Time 45m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Using a melon baller, clean out the red flesh from the center of each peach. Arrange the peaches cut side up in the prepared dish. In the bowl of a food processor, add the amaretti cookies and pulse until finely crumbled. Divide the amaretti crumbs between the peaches. Fill the center of each peach with the amaretti cookie crumbs. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over each. Dot each peach with 1/2 teaspoon of butter.
- Bake until the peaches are tender and the filling is crisp on top, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
PEACH PRALINE SEMIFREDDO WITH AMARETTI
Categories Milk/Cream Food Processor Mixer Egg Dessert Bake Freeze/Chill Peach Almond Summer Gourmet Vegetarian Pescatarian Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Make 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Make crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide semifreddo off bottom), then lock on side and oil pan.
- Stir together ground amaretti and melted butter in a bowl until combined well, then press evenly over bottom and up side of springform pan. Bake until crust is firm and a shade darker, about 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, 20 to 30 minutes. Leave oven on.
- Make praline:
- Spread nuts in a shallow baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once or twice, until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer nuts to a bowl. Lightly oil same baking pan.
- Cook sugar in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is a dark amber.
- Immediately stir in nuts, then pour mixture into oiled baking pan and let stand to harden and cool completely, about 15 minutes.
- Break praline into pieces, then pulse in cleaned food processor until finely chopped.
- Make semifreddo:
- Pit and coarsely chop peaches, with skins if desired, then purée in cleaned food processor with crushed vitaminutes C, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Force thourough a medium-mesh sieve set over a large metal bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.
- Stir in egg yolks, then place bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and beat with mixer until mixture is thick and pale and registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, then beat 3 minutes more (do not let boil).
- Remove bowl from saucepan and set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Add almond extract and beat until cold, about 6 minutes.
- Beat cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in another bowl using cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks.
- Fold one third of cream into peach mixture, then fold in praline and remaining cream gently but thoroughly. Pour mixture into cooled crust and freeze, covered with plastic wrap, until firm, at least 3 hours. Let stand in refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
- Make peach topping while semifreddo stands in refrigerator:
- Cut an X in bottom of each peach, then blanch in a medium saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Peel peaches and cut into 1/2-inch wedges.
- Toss peaches with crushed vitaminutes C and sugar and let stand, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes.
- Spoon peaches over semifreddo with a slotted spoon just before serving.
FRESH PEACHES WITH AMARETTO SAUCE
Company dessert? Dress up fresh peach slices with a 5-ingredient killer sauce that includes soymilk and amaretto.
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Dessert
Time 1h10m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Stir together sugar and cornstarch in 1-quart stainless steel or nonstick saucepan (do not use aluminum because the sauce will discolor). With wire whisk, stir in soymilk and amaretto liqueur until well blended.
- Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until cold.
- Divide peaches among 4 individual dessert dishes. Spoon amaretto sauce over peaches. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 130, Carbohydrate 26 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fiber 2 g, Protein 3 g, SaturatedFat 0 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 40 mg, Sugar 23 g, TransFat 0 g
ANDREA DA MERANO'S SEMIFREDDO DI AMARETTI WITH FRESH PEACHES
This recipe came to The Times in 1987 from the chef Andrea de Merano, who was cooking then at Palio in Manhattan. It is more like a frozen mousse than ice cream, and is served at a higher temperature than a typical American frozen dessert. Make sure the peaches are really ripe for this, and wait until serving to add the crumbled amaretto cookies. Take heart: This recipe might take some time, but it will keep up to a week in the freezer. (The New York Times)
Provided by Florence Fabricant
Categories dessert
Time 3h30m
Yield 8 to 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they thicken. Add the amaretto cookie crumbs and continue beating 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically, until the mixture becomes quite light in color and very thick. Stir in the liqueur.
- In a clean, dry bowl beat the egg whites until they foam. With the mixer at high speed continue beating, gradually adding 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Beat until the egg whites hold firm peaks, about 3 minutes longer.
- In a chilled bowl beat the cream until it holds soft peaks. Fold the egg whites and cream together.
- Fold one-quarter of the cream and egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture until well blended. Gently fold in the remaining cream and egg white mixture.
- Spread the mixture in 12 individual 1/2-cup custard cups or 8 six-ounce custard cups or molds or a 6-cup loaf pan or mold; cover with plastic wrap and freeze several hours or overnight. The semifreddo will keep at least a week in the freezer.
- Shortly before serving, plunge the peaches into boiling water 15 seconds, rinse under cold water, peel, pit and cut them into thin slices. Toss with remaining 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice.
- Dip the mold or molds briefly into hot water and turn out onto individual chilled plates or a serving platter. Surround with peach slices. Sprinkle the semifreddo with crumbled amaretto cookies and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 288, UnsaturatedFat 6 grams, Carbohydrate 29 grams, Fat 18 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 91 milligrams, Sugar 23 grams
Tips:
- To make the amaretti cookies from scratch, follow the recipe provided in the article or use store-bought amaretti cookies.
- For a richer flavor, use high-quality amaretti cookies.
- Make sure the peaches are ripe and flavorful.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can crush the amaretti cookies in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.
- To prevent the semifreddo from freezing too hard, let it thaw in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before serving.
Conclusion:
Andrea Da Merano's Semifreddo di Amaretti with Fresh Peaches is a delicious and refreshing dessert that is perfect for any occasion. The combination of amaretti cookies, peaches, and cream creates a rich and flavorful dessert that is sure to please everyone.
This recipe is relatively easy to make, and it can be made ahead of time, making it a great option for busy cooks. With its beautiful presentation and delicious taste, this semifreddo is sure to be a hit at your next party or gathering.
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