Cherry Raspberry Semifreddos

The Fourth of July and berry desserts go hand in hand. ‘Semifreddo’ means ‘half cold’ in Italian and is a delicious frozen mousse/sorbet that is served after it’s softened about 10 minutes out of the freezer. You can make this dessert with fresh or frozen fruit (which is a good hack if you don’t want to remove the pit from two cups of cherries like I did), just as long as you have a few fresh berries for your garnish. Plan ahead for this dessert because it needs at least 8 hours in the freezer. You also need 6 freezer safe containers; clear glass is best so you can see the layers. I used empty candle jars which worked perfectly. Happy Birthday, America!

Cherry Raspberry Semifreddo

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar, divided

• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided

• 2 cups sour cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted

• 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• 3 tablespoons St-Germain (elderflower liqueur)

• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided

Recipe

1. Whisk 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt in a small saucepan. Add cherries and raspberries and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Allow to boil for 1 minute, then stir in lemon juice and liqueur, and remove from heat.

2. After the mixture has cooled slightly, purée in a food processor. Strain purée into a medium mesh sieve and discard the solids. The remaining purée should yield about 1 1/4 cups.

3. Combine egg, yolks, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until the mixture is warm and you can no longer feel the granules of sugar between your fingers. Transfer this warmed mixture to a stand mixer bowl and beat on high until thick and cool, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add 1 cup of berry purée, making sure to reserve the other 1/4 cup of the purée for later.

4. In a separate bowl, whip 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into the berry mixture. Divide the mixture among 6 freezer-safe glasses or containers and chill for 8 hours. You can make the semifreddo up to 3 days in advance, just be sure to cover each container with plastic wrap for the freezer.

5. Refrigerate reserved berry purée in a sealed container for serving.

6. 10 minutes before serving, remove semifreddos from freezer. Whip remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream to soft peaks. Divide the remaining berry purée among the six glasses and top with fresh berries and whipped cream.