Orange Semifreddo With fruit

By now you must realize that I am a citrus lover and my Orange Semifreddo with fruit showcases the orange. Peach schnapps gives it another depth of flavour.  This is a partially frozen dessert that is easy to make, freeze and wow your company when they visit.  A traditional semifreddo combines eggs, but today I leave them out. I made this cake for my brother Rollie’s birthday and it disappeared quickly.

Where did this heavenly dessert originate?

Like so many wonderful dishes, this originated in Florence.  My research tells me that in Florence they used ice and snow as a refrigeration process. They kept these items in deep wells. Ice cream was also created in Florence. I bring a little Sicilian into it by adding the candied fruit.

My Semifreddo

Usually this type of dessert has a sponge cake but I use ladyfingers, sometimes it has no sponge in it. I soak them in orange juice with peach schnapps.  Make sure you do this quickly; it is a dunk and place process.  You don’t want the biscuits to get too soggy.   A semifreddo has a dark layer (usually chocolate) and a light layer of cream.  Mine has one layer of ice cream and dried fruit and another layer of cream cheese and whipped cream.  I will add a chocolate layer when I serve it. This dessert presents itself as a complicated dish, but only you will know how easy it is to make.

invert the cake FROM the freezer. LET IT STAND FOR ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES.  prepare to put the whipped crEam over it.

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Orange Semifreddo with Fruit

This fruity semi-frozen dessert will delight your guests.  

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Ice Cream Layer

• 24 oz (1/2 a tub) of vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup dried fruit I used fruit cake mix

The Cream Portion

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups whipped cream I used cool whip

The Big Dunk

• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp peach schnapps

The Cake

• 2 1/2 sleeves Italian Lady Fingers (Savoiardi)

The Chocolate Sauce

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup half and half cream
• 2 tsp easy blend flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 4 oz dark chocolate
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp Bailey's Liqueur optional

Instructions

The Big Dunk

The Ice Cream Layer

1. Soften Ice Cream and add the fruit.

    Stir.

The Cream Portion

1. Cream the sugar with the cream cheese. 

    Add 1/2 cup of whipped cream and stir.

    Fold in remainder of whipped topping. 

The Big Dunk

1. Mix the orange juice with peach schnapps and stir.  

The assembly

1.  Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap.

    Dunk each lady finger into the orange juice quickly.

    Begin to layer in loaf pan. 

    After the first layer pour in the ice cream layer and smooth out.

    Dunk more lady fingers one at a time and create a second layer.  Really push in the biscuits. Remember to quickly dunk and place.

    Pour the cream portion next and smooth.

    Do a third layer of biscuits: dunk and press in.

    Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and place in freezer.

    This will keep in the freezer four to six weeks.

    When ready to serve, unwrap and invert onto a platter.

   Add a layer of whipped topping.

    Sprinkle with cocoa for that chocolate flavour.

    Make the chocolate sauce and pour on at last minute to serve.  

   
   

The Chocolate Sauce

1.  Pour the milk and cream into a pot with the easy blend flour and whisk and add the butter. 

    Bring to a boil.

    Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips and stir until smooth.

    Add the remaining ingredients.

    Sauce may be refrigerated for up to a week. 

Recipe Notes

It is your choice to use or not to use the chocolate sauce.  This dessert can stand alone; however, the chocolate sauce is extra yummy!!

Sicilian Orange Almond Cake with Syrup

I love almonds and of course citrus fruit and that is why my Sicilian Orange Almond Cake with Syrup is irresistible.  Take it to the table anytime of the year.  It is a nice winter or summer dessert. In the summer, I like to serve it with ice cream, but during the winter I dress it with some yogurt and segments of mandarin oranges marinated in Peach Schnapps.

The aroma of citrus

Citrus is clean and aromatic. Oranges are complimentary when cooking with hot spices and they accentuate many fresh herbs making the flavour pop.  Mix oranges with cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg and you can add to any sauce for fish or poultry. You can also use oranges in apple,poppy-seed or banana cakes.  Today my Sicilian Orange Almond Cake with Syrup combines the warmth of cinnamon and the fresh scent of oranges to bring a tasty dessert to my table.  I hope you enjoy it at your table!!

 A Slice of the best aromatic orange almond cake. 

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Sicilian Orange Almond Cake with Syrup

Oranges give this hearty almond cake aromatic flavour.  

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 12

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• powdered sugar dusting cake
• 1 orange for zest and decorating

The Orange/Peach Syrup

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp peach marmalade
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp peach schnapps

Instructions

The Cake

1. Set oven to 350 F.

   Prepare an 8 inch round cake pan by greasing and cutting a round of parchment to fit the bottom.  ( see video)

   Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat.

   Add the eggs followed by the orange juice.  

   In another bowl mix the semolina flour, ground almonds and cinnamon.

   Now put the dry ingredients into the wet and fold.

   Pour into a prepared 8 inch round cake pan.  

   Bake for 40 minutes.

   Cool for 10 minutes.

   
   

   
   

The Syrup

1. Pour orange juice into a pan and add the peach marmalade.  Stir well.

   Add the sugar and peach schnapps.

   Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil.

   Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 5 minutes.

   Remove from heat and strain.

   Reserve 1/3 of this sauce for serving.

   
   

   
   

The Assembly

1. Poke holes in the cake with a skewer.

   Pour 2/3 of the light syrup all over the cake.  

   Dust the cake with powdered sugar.

   Decorate with orange segments.

   When serving add some more orange segments on the plate and drizzle some syrup around the plate.  

Recipe Notes

Use your reserved 1/3 cup of syrup to serve; experiment with this and be creative on the plate.  

Lemon Yogurt Mousse

This dessert has a light and airy texture.  My Lemon Yogurt Mousse is perfect after a fish meal or a heavy meal.  In many recipes it calls for egg yolks, but I want something quick and easy.  In Italy I love to eat a sorbetto di limone and some have a creamy texture. This type of dessert incorporates a lot of cream and I don’t want all the fat.I use a light cream cheese to give it depth, 2% yogurt to thin it out and light cool whip to give the airy feel without all the calories of whipping cream. Most of the time I use limoncello liqueur, but today I only have lemons at home.

Do Real Italians eat Mousse?

My dad doesn’t like the texture of mousse and it was many years before we had pudding in our house.  The closest comparison for us would be the lemon filling in the cupcakes or the custard in cake. The other dessert that may compare is panna cotta. Mousse wasn’t something that would withstand the heat in Calabria or Sicily or something either family could have before a refrigerator. My dad does love cannoli and the texture of mascarpone and ricotta; if you wrap it in cake or cookies, he will eat it. What desserts do Italians like?  This is a good article from the Huffington Post:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/Menuism/10-essential-italian-dess_b_7638432.html

Italian Lemons

The best lemons in my opinion are found on the Amalfi Coast. They also make the best limoncello: a lemon liqueur.

https://www.deliciousitaly.com/campania-naples-food/story-of-the-amalfi-coast-lemon

I took this picture in September; I can’t get enough of their lemons.

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Lemon Yogurt Mousse

A light dessert to end any meal. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup yogurt
• lemon zest
• 1/4 cup Limoncello liqueur or lemon juice
• 2 cups cool whip light

Instructions

1. Soften the cream cheese and add the sugar.  I use a hand mixer.  You can also do this with a spatula.  

   Add the yogurt and mix again.

   Pour in the lemon juice and incorporate.

   Zest of half a lemon.

   Add 1/2 cup of the cool whip and stir.

   Fold in the remainder of the of the cool whip. Be Gentle here.  

   Pour into martini glasses.

   Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

   Garnish with lemon zest and slices of lemon.  

Apple Almond Oatmeal Crostata

Before I was introduced to the traditional pie, we ate crostata.  It was a big tart filled with whatever fruits were in season.  The recipe I have doesn’t have an egg in it; maybe they saved their eggs for a frittata?  Most of the time we had apple or plum crostata.  You can use whatever fruits you like.  The trick is not to overstuffed and to let the flavours shine.  My Apple Almond Oatmeal Crostata is a blend of an apple crisp and a crostata.

Crostata according to history originated in the Naples area.  It is very rustic and doesn’t have to be perfect; I like when the edges aren’t even.  I have put it in a pie plate, but today it is going on a pan.  You can also make a savoury crostata; the equivalent of a meat pie.  In early days, fish, meat and vegetable were used. It was relevant to what your land produced, in Sicily there is even an artichoke crostata.  Another popular crostata is made with ricotta.

The reasoning behind the recipe

I wanted crunch and healthy things in a tart that my grandson will eat and still be linked to his Italian roots.  Owen hasn’t eaten very many sweets; in fact, he has never had juice.  He does like chocolate, but we give it to him sparingly and he does enjoy dessert.  This tart will provide him with some good fibre from the oatmeal and we will serve it with frozen yogurt.  I use oats which are very heart healthy and almonds today.  The coconut sugar gives it a natural sweetness and I boost the sweetness at the end with some jam and pure maple syrup. Please note, I did not add sugar to my dough because we watch our sugar intake; it was still yummy.

The process

I am not happy with today’s video as you can see my tripod.  LOL  The learning process continues and the blog must go on.  I am not a chef or a professions; I am a home cook sharing what I love most and that is cooking.

Before it goes into the oven.

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Apple Almond Oatmeal Crostata

A sweet and healthy dessert for your table.  

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The tart

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar If you are watching your sugar intake, don't add
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter cubed
• 3-5 tbsp cold water

The filling

• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 apples 4 cups sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp amaretto liqueur

The topping

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

The decadent brushing

• 2 tbsp any jam you like
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Instructions

The Tart

1. Pulse flour and salt.

   add butter and pulse until it looks like peas,

   Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time until it forms a ball.

   Remove and put in plastic wrap.

   Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

   Take out and roll into a 12 inch diameter.  

The filling

1. Put 2 tbsp of butter into a pan and add the apples.

   Sprinkle with sugar,cinnamon, nutmeg and simmer for a few minutes.

   Add amaretto liqueur and remove from heat. 

   
   

Assembly

1. After you roll out the crust, pile the apple mixture in the centre.

   Fold over 1/2 inch of the dough all around the apple mlxture.

   Combine the oats and brown sugar.

   Sprinkle over the apples. 

   Next spread the almonds over the top.

   Now sprinkle the brown sugar over everything.

   Place in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  

   Take it out and brush the crust with the jam and syrup.

   Put back in the oven for 10 minutes.

   Cool and serve with frozen yogurt or ice cream. 

   
   

   
   

   
   

It is brown, crisp and smells heavenly.