Strawberry Semifreddo, plus Strawberry Sauce

Creamy, fruity and good strawberry semifreddo made with fresh, ripe strawberries and topped with a simple strawberry sauce. This easy Italian summer dessert is full of flavour and is cool and refreshing.

If you are looking for an easy summer dessert to make when strawberries are at their best, then this is it!

Strawberry season is one of our favourites, and there's nothing better than ripe, sweet strawberries at the height of summer.

This strawberry semifreddo is the solid way to make the most of them. It's a classic Italian dessert which translates as 'half cold'. It's similar to ice cream but has a lighter mousse-like texture.

This version is simple and is made with just five ingredients, so the strawberry flavour shines through.

Another thing we love about this dessert is that you don't have to make a separate sauce for serving. reserve some of the strawberry sauce before mixing the rest through the eggs and cream; it couldn't be easier.

Ingredient notes

• Fresh strawberries: use fresh, ripe strawberries. The quality of the strawberries will make a difference to the overall flavour of the semifreddo.
• Heavy cream (also known as double cream in the UK): heavy whipping cream will also work well. don't use low-fat cream.
• Lemon juice: this helps cut through the sweetness of the sugar and strawberries, so don't skip it.
• Sugar: we used fine caster sugar, but you can use granulated sugar instead.

Recipe tips

Keep the cream cold – keep the cream in the fridge until you are ready to whip it so it stays cold.

Whipping the eggs and sugar – it can take a long time to whip the eggs and sugar until thick and pale by hand. We gently heat the egg yolks in a double boiler to pasteurise them, then remove them from the heat and switch to an electric whisk to whip the eggs quickly.

Cool everything right down – The strawberry mix must be completely cold before mixing it with the cream. We pop our strawberry mix in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to cool down quickly.

Chop the strawberries into small pieces – the strawberries break down into a sauce relatively quickly if they are chopped into small pieces.

Help! We forgot to reserve some strawberry sauce and added it all to the eggs and cream.

There's a reason why we're adding this section. We've made this semifreddo so many times and once forgot to separate the sauce. Don't worry if this happens; it's still good and works as well. You can serve it without sauce or make extra if you prefer.

Can we use frozen strawberries?

Yes, you can use frozen strawberries instead of fresh. Make sure you use the same weight, then cook the strawberries straight from frozen; they'll take a little longer to break down.

More Italian summer desserts to try

Italian Desserts

Stracciatella Gelato (No Churn)

Italian Desserts

Chocolate Semifreddo Recipe

Italian Desserts

Italian Ice Cream Sandwiches (Gelato Biscotto)

Italian Desserts

Paciugo (Ligurian Ice Cream Sundae)

Ingredients

Makes 12 servings

• 1.5 lbs (675g) fresh strawberries
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar ((separate the sugar into 100g (½ cup) and 50g (¼ cup))
• 2 cups (450g) heavy cream ((double cream UK))
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Equipment

• loaf pan
• Plastic wrap (cling film)
• Electric whisk
• Hand whisk

Method

1. Wash and chop the strawberries into small pieces and add them to a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/2 cup (100g) of sugar (photos 1 and 2).

2. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the strawberries have broken down and thickened (about 12-13 minutes). Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Remove 1/3 cup of strawberry sauce and set aside for serving (refrigerate it once cool) (photos 3 and 4).

3. Whisk the 1/4 cup (50g) sugar and 3 egg yolks in a bowl over a pot of hot water until pale and thick. We use a hand whisk over the double boiler for about 5 minutes to temper them, then remove from the heat and use an electric whisk to whip until pale and thick (photos 5 and 6).

4. Remove from the heat and add the strawberry sauce to the egg mixture. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then transfer it to the freezer for 20-30 minutes until completely cold (photos 7 and 8).

5. Once cold, whip the cold heavy cream to stiff peaks; be careful not to overwhip. Fold the cream 1/3 at a time through the cold strawberry mixture. If you notice lots of lumps of cream, use a hand whisk to gently whisk the mixture (photos 9 and 10).

6. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap, making sure the top is also covered. Let it set for at least 5-6 hours. Remove from the freezer around 15 minutes before serving. Cut it into slices and serve with the remaining strawberry sauce (photos 11 and 12).

Kitchen notes

• Loaf pan sizes We've tested this in two loaf pan sizes: 10x5 inches and 9x4.5 inches. Both work well. If you want wide slices of semifreddo, go with the smaller size.
• Storage the semifreddo will keep well in the freezer for up to 4 weeks.