Vegan Cardamom Semifreddo with Strawberry Rose Jam & Pistachios
Another summer, another semifreddo. I’ve been making this since last summer, and it’s fantastic. The flavours mesh together perfectly with the pistachos giving a little savouriness. This the your 2021 solution to beat the heat.
Makes: 1 12x26cm loaf
prep time: 25-30 minutes
freezing time: 10-16 hours (overnight)
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Rose jam:
1/4 cup (72g) strawberry jam
1 1/4 tsp rose water
Method:
Combine the two ingredients, and mix well. Set aside.
For the semifreddo base:
1 3/4 cups (400ml) coconut milk
1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (73g) honey or another liquid sweetener like agave, brown rice syrup, date syrup….
1 tsp tapioca flour
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
3 tbsp (23g) coconut oil
400ml can of coconut cream, refrigerated overnight (this should give you approx 360g of solid product and a few tbsps of liquid to discard)
1/4 cup (57g) aquafaba
3 tbsp (41g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (78g) shelled pistachios
Loaf pan
Method
1. Line the loaf pan with cling film, leaving enough overhang to be able to wrap the top of the dessert.
2. In a pot, add coconut milk, sugar, honey (or other liquid sweetner) and tapioca flour. Whisk everything together until there are no lumps visible. Add the cardamom to the liquid, and turn the heat up to medium low. Let the cardamom infuse in the coconut milk for 15-20 minutes.
3. Take the pot off the heat and mix in the coconut oil. Let the base cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, scoop the solid part of the coconut cream into a bowl discarding the liquid, and with an electric whisk or manually, whip it until it becomes fluffy, and increases in volume. It should resemble whipped cream.
5. In another bowl, whip the aquafaba until foamy and then slowly pour in the 3 tbsp of sugar. Whip the mixture until it becomes glossy and stiff peaks form. Fold it into the whipped coconut cream.
6. Strain the cardamom base into a large bowl. Fold in the coconut cream aquafaba mixture into the matcha gently as to not lose a lot of air, until everything is even and thoroughly combined.
7. Dollop the strawberry rose jam onto the bottom of the loaf pan, and sprinkle the pistachio evenly over the base. Pour the cardamom mix into the prepared loaf pan, cover the top with the overhanging cling film and place in the freezer for a minimum of 10 hours. When the semifreddo has fully set, take it out, unwrap, and cut into slices. It’s easiest to cut with a hot knife: run the blade under some hot water, and it should easily cut into the dessert. Serve straight away.
For storage: wrap it back in the clingfilm or a fresh piece of parchment paper, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months