Honey, almond and ginger semifreddo with a hint of thyme (semifreddo di mandorla e miele, con zenzero e timo)

This semifreddo is sublime. You must make it and you must try it. Tonight. Each bite – honeyed and sweet – reminds me of a honeycomb ice-cream my mother used to make when I was a child. When we lived in a sleepy town in Australia, a town called Broome. My recipe is cold like ice-cream, but softer in texture, like melted ice-cream. The salted almonds give it an irresistible crunch and the stem ginger a peppery kick. Part of what I love most about this recipe is that you don’t need an ice-cream machine.

Credit: Skye McAlpine

• serves

  8-10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 600 ml double thick cream
• 2 eggs
• 8 egg yolks
• 200 g runny honey (I use wildflower honey), plus extra to drizzle
• 75 g Chinese stem ginger in syrup, drained
• 75 g roasted salted almonds
• a handful of crystallised ginger, a few whole raw almonds and a small bunch of fresh thyme, to decorate

Freezing time 3 hours

Instructions

Line a 22 cm round cake tin with plastic wrap, along plenty overhanging. Using electric mixers, whisk the cream until thick and stiff. In a clean heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and honey until the mixture is thick and pale. Gently fold the egg custard into the whipped cream. Roughly chop the stem ginger and the salted almonds, and stir in. Pour the mixture into the cake tin, cover with the plastic wrap and freeze for 2–3 hours or until frozen. 

When you’re ready to serve the semifreddo, turn out onto a plate and drizzle with the extra honey. Decorate with the crystallised ginger, whole almonds and sprigs of thyme, as you like.

Note

• Chinese or baby stem ginger in syrup is available online and from specialist food stores.

Recipe from From My Dining Table by Skye McAlpine, with photographs by Skye McAlpine.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.