Roasted Plum Semifreddo Recipe
Prep Time:
6 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Servings:
10 Slices
Ingredients
  • 5 ripe plums, halved and pitted
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 24 (2-inch) gingersnaps (about 6 ounces)
  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 large egg yolks
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss plums with honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
  3. Transfer the plums to a baking dish, cut-side down, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the skin is wrinkled and the plums are softened.
  4. Transfer half of the plums to a bowl to cool to room temperature, then wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Bake the remaining plums for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until very tender.
  5. Peel away the skins and discard them, then use a fork or blender to puree the flesh until smooth. Set aside.
  6. Line a standard loaf pan with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.
  7. Crush 18 gingersnaps to fine crumbs and roughly snap the rest into chunks, then set aside.
  8. Whip the heavy cream into soft peaks.
  9. Add ½ of the lemon zest, mascarpone, ⅓ cup sugar, vanilla, and ½ teaspoon salt to the whipped cream. Whip to stiff peaks then refrigerate until ready to use.
  10. Bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer in a small pot, then reduce heat to low.
  11. Whisk to combine the egg, egg yolks, and ⅓ cup sugar in a medium bowl.
  12. Place the bowl over the simmering water, whisking constantly until very warm to the touch (about 160 F).
  13. Remove the bowl from the pot and whip the egg mixture until it is light in color and tripled in volume.
  14. Pour about half of the egg mixture over the whipped cream and fold gently to combine, then add the rest and fold until uniform.
  15. Portion ¼ of the batter into the bottom of the lined loaf pan, top with a few spoonfuls of plum puree, then cover with a layer of gingersnap crumbs. Repeat 3 times.
  16. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight until firm.
  17. Flip and unmold the semifreddo onto a serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. If it doesn't come out easily, run warm water over the bottom of the pan for a few seconds to loosen.
  18. Slice the remaining plums into thirds and pile them on top of the semifreddo along with any plum juices.
  19. Top with the remaining gingersnaps and lemon zest, then slice and serve.