Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Dear Food NetworkEpisode: Holiday Desserts

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (9)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(9)

Cook Time:
18 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 40 min
Inactive Prep: 2 hr 0 min
Cook: 18 min
Total:: 2 hr 58 min

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Ingredients

2 1/2 cups milk
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Spiced Honey:

6 figs, fresh or dried, cut into quarters
6 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 lemon , juiced
1 cinnamon stick
Amaretto cookies, for garnish

Directions

Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until the sugar starts to dissolve and the yolks turn light yellow, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, adding it in a thin stream at first so as not to cook the yolks, and then more quickly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, without boiling, until the mixture thickly coats the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and amaretto. Refrigerate until cool (or chill in a water bath).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until golden and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes.

When the custard is cold, whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold into the custard along with the toasted almonds. Scrape the mixture into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, cover and freeze until firm.

Meanwhile, put the figs, dates, honey, water, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the fruit is soft. Let cool slightly, then remove the cinnamon stick.

To serve, dip the bottom of the loaf pan in a bowl of hot water for 5 seconds. Put a platter on top and then invert quickly; lift off the loaf pan. Cut the semifreddo into slices and put the slices on plates. Spoon the spiced honey and dried fruit over and crumble amaretto cookies over the top for crunch.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds
Anita EAST HARTFORD, CT 01-25-2010
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Thumbs Up!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this recipe twice over the holidays. I was looking for a light, refreshing dessert and this was perfect. I followed... the recipe as written and had no problem with the custard, although I cooked the custard longer than what is written. I think the real star is the topping. The second time I doubled the topping recipe as I think it was a wonderful accompaniment to the semifreddo. I think it was an excellent dessert. I typically don't care for "cold/frozen" desserts, especially in the winter but this worked beautifully after the big holiday meals. Read more
recipe Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds
Van Richmond, VA 01-01-2010
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Great flavor but what did I do wrong?
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

This was my first semifreddo and seems I did something wrong. It separated into two layers as if froze. The bottom half was... a little icy and the top half was all cream with the almonds in the middle. Would appreciate any tips on what I did wrong. Flavor was great.Read more
recipe Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds
x chicago, IL 01-13-2009
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Good for entertaining
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I made this over the holidays when we had a dinner party and it was nice because it was something different to serve. The... recipe was very easy to make. Although the flavor didn't wow me completely, it was still very good.Read more
recipe Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds
Cindy Fayetteville, GA 01-11-2009
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Awesome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My husband liked this so much I had to make it twice over the Christmas holiday. It is a light desert to have after a big... holiday meal. We loved it!!Read more
recipe Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds
Brenda Jacksonville, FL 01-06-2009
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Fantastic!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was easy and a big hit at a New Year's Eve party. I recommend making sure not to over whip the cream because that makes... it too hard to fold into the custard. And I had to cook the custard longer than the recipe stated. And I substituted apricots for the figs. Very good dessert! Read more
recipe Spiced Honey Semifreddo with Dried Fruit and Almonds
Rachel Buffalo, NY 12-30-2008
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Great Taste, but a bit of prep trouble
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

The spiced honey was amazing and taste of the semifreddo delish. I had trouble getting the whipped cream and custard to meld,... which caused separation when freezing. I would recommend freezing overnight, since mine was in need of more time after around 7 hours. It was melty (especially if you add the honey too warm!) but my guests loved it!Read more