Cherry Semifreddo with Chocolate Ganache

Prep: 35 minutes, plus cooling time

Serves: 8

Difficulty:

Cuisine:

Saved:

Italian

Recipe by: Western Star

This Cherry Ripe semifreddo is full of cherry and coconut and drizzled with dark chocolate ganache. This Christmas dessert would go down a treat at an Australian Christmas.

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Cherry Semifreddo with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

Semifreddo

350g fresh cherries, pitted

125g caster sugar

5 egg yolks

400ml Western Star Thickened Cream

50g roasted shredded coconut, plus extra to serve

Chocolate ganache

100ml Western Star Thickened Cream

100g dark chocolate, chopped

To serve

Roasted shredded coconut and fresh cherries

Method:

Semifreddo

To make the semifreddo, line a 1.2 litre loaf tin with cling film, allowing it to overhang by a few centimetres
Place the cherries, 25g sugar and 1 tbsp water into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for 7 minutes or until the cherries soften completely. Allow to cool slightly, then blitz in a blender and set aside to cool to room temperature
Using an electric whisk, beat the yolks and remaining sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form
Gently fold the coconut and ¾ of the cherry puree into the beaten yolk mix, then fold in the whipped cream
Drizzle a few teaspoons of the cherry puree into the base of the prepared tin. Pour about a third of the semifreddo mixture on top. Add a few more spoonfuls of the cherry puree and stir it gently with a spoon to create a ripple effect. Repeat with the remaining mixture and cherry puree. Cover with cling film and freeze for at least 8 hours

Chocolate ganache

For the ganache, warm the cream and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Stir until combined then take off the heat to cool slightly

To serve

To serve, take out of the freezer for 10 minutes to allow it to soften slightly. Remove the top layer of cling film and turn out onto a serving platter. Peel off the remaining cling film. Top with some of the chocolate ganache and sprinkle with roasted coconut. Add fresh cherries and serve in slices with the remaining ganache served separately

Tips & Hints:

For a grown-up version, tray adding a dash of Kirsch or coconut liqueur to the semifreddo mixture.
For extra crunch, fold in some chopped roasted almonds or hazelnuts.