Recipe of the Week and Random Bits of News

First, random bits o' news: I'm officially back to full-time work (bad news for quality time with Sean, good news for our bank account); David sent us an awesome, random present that promises to transport things, entertain both of us, and clothe Sean; Steve barfed on the carpet again; it got to 112 degrees in Citrus Heights yesterday; I made my first-ever grilled tri-tip last night, and it turned out very well.

Now for the recipe, reprinted without permission from http://www.cookandeat.com/:

strawberry semifreddo
(serves 8)

ingredients

• 1 pint of fresh strawberries, stems and caps removed
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 4 eggs, separated

directions

1. Mash the strawberries well (I used a potato masher). Set aside.
2. Whip the cream until it is firm. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Combine the sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks in the bowl of a mixer and beat until it is thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Move to a large metal bowl, cover and set aside.
4. Beat the egg whites in a clean mixer bowl until you get soft peaks.
5. Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Then, fold in the egg whites, trying not to deflate them.
6. Fold in the strawberry puree, mixing just enough to get some nice swirls and streaks but not a solid pink color.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. You’ll need to freeze it for well over an hour for more of an ice cream texture. Note: If frozen overnight, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes before trying to scoop it.
   

responses

Sean said: "Mmmm."

Sarah said: "I would make this again."

Carrie McChesney said: "Light and fresh."

Dan McChesney said: "Like a light ice cream."

critique

I enjoyed this dessert very much, and I would make only a few minor changes. One is that I would probably macerate the strawberries in a teaspoon or two of sugar before mashing them, because they were a bit tart in the sweet, dairy part of the dessert. I would also suggest setting out the dessert for closer to 20 or 30 minutes after being frozen overnight, because otherwise it's a bit too icy in the middle. I ended up pouring the whole thing into a plastic wrap-lined loaf pan due to personal preference, which made for pretty slices. Those of you who know me well know I tend to like very sweet things, but this is one dessert I've found that had a minimal amount of sugar and was still very satisfying (especially with Belgian butter cookies from Trader Joe's).