Monday, January 16, 2012

Semifreddo Drreamm Dessert

I just came upon this picture in my Organic Gardening magazine.  It's called Semifreddo.  It's an Italian frozen dessert.  I think this might be heaven on earth.

Immediately, I knew what this would taste and feel like in my mouth.  I could hear it crunching as I ate it in the kitchen in my mind.

When I was little, my mother made an American version of this:  that yogurt pie thing with cool whip.  She used strawberry (or peach, I remember peach at least once) yogurt, actual strawberries, cool whip and a graham cracker crust.  She mixed it all together and froze it and then she'd let it thaw for a minute and cut it up and we'd eat it.  Mind you, we were so classy in our house, we didn't need fancy strawberry sauces to top it off.  We just ate it off the Mickey plate and probably licked and our fingers it clean.

That pie was a mysterious delight.  Mysterious because we never knew when she'd make it.  And because we never had this dessert again after a few times.  And because my father liked it.  I thought it was really funny that my father like strawberry yogurt pie.

A delight because of the way it all came together in my mouth.  There's something about the near frozenness of yogurt, with its crystals and frozen consistency that just makes my day.  I can hear it sort of crunching in my mouth right now.

Do you remember eating a pie like this in the 80s?  I can't explain why, but I feel like Tupperware was somehow involved in this.  Maybe they learned it at Tupperware party?

When I saw this picture of Semifreddo, my mouth immediately felt that frozen crystally sensation!

Of course, having a fancy name like Semifreddo, rather than "that frozen yogurt pie thing with cool whip" means that you need things like mascarpone cheese, heavy cream and you have to do things like whip it for 10 minutes and look for peaks and trails.   And you probably need an Italian Nonni in the kitchen whipping it with her stocky arms. 

Far more work than my American mother must have done for yogurt pie.  And far more calories too.

I have a hankering to make this, but I suspect I'll play my American card and just use fat free yogurt and cool whip.  Ooooh but I bet with Greek yogurt this consistency will knock my socks off.   When is strawberry season again????


2 comments:

  1. That looks crazy delicious.

    No, I never had anything like that growing up, but my mom was more into desserts made from jello. She made every jello creation on the planet.

    And you're right with Greek yogurt? Yummy. Man, how I love greek yogurt. One of my issues with yogurt is its texture. I'm not a fan of slimy, gooey things. But Greek yogurt is so thick and delicious. I love it.

    If you decide to make it, Italian Nonni or not, let us know how it comes out!

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  2. Mmmmm!!! I think you are right about the Tupperware connection. I want the actual recipe for what your mom made. Can you share it??

    (BTW, thanks for your comment the other day about the wigs. It kind of made me sad. You made some great points! I guess wigs can be fun sometimes and sad sometimes.)

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